Guardian Moon
by Kaeli-Madym
Summary: A more realistic retelling of Sailor Moon with some twists. Will contain some OCs. Some characters might be a little OoC. Warnings for blood, death, violence, adult themes, and the occasional swearing.
1. Chapter 1

Everything was dark and the sounds of battle rand in the air. The sounds echoed in the hall, drowning out the loud clicks of her heels on the marble floor. The warm, firm hand of the handsome man grasped her delicate hand tightly as they ran. He was leading her outside and she knew that despite heading towards the danger it was the only route that would get them to safety fast enough.

"Keep your eyes on me, Princess." His warm voice warned as he shoved the door ajar and pulled her outside. The sternness of his tone failed to hide the concern and fear that he tried to keep from her. She spotted the marbled blue, white, green planet hanging in the sky above and felt her heartbreaking despite its beauty. He leads her through the courtyard of what had once been a pristine ivory palace. Everything seemed to be falling to ruin around them and she couldn't help but let her eyes stray from his back. Her chest ached and tears filled her eyes at the sight of her people, and her friends. So many innocent people were already dead. She could see a few of her closest friends still on their feet, their color-coordinated sailor fukas dancing around their thighs as the fought to push back hordes of men and monsters alike.

"Hold the line!" She barely heard her best friend, the long-haired blond in the orange fuka scream out her command.

"Protect the princess," echoed back the shouts of the other women in fukas. Her warriors and closest friends. She swallowed a sob, shaking her head as she forced her eyes to return to her prince's back. She feared the fate that seemed to be awaiting her dear friends and people. She didn't want anyone to die at all, let alone for her sake.

"Steady, my love. We must find your mother." She tried to steady her breathing as he leads her to the stairs, silently urging her legs to hurry and not fail her. She prayed her blasted heels would hold out despite the abuse of her running in them. Her dark-haired hero leads her up the stairs, his sword gripped in his free hand. He was ready to fight anyone who dared to attack them.

Usagi sprang up, wide awake gasping for air. She unconsciously grasped at her throat as if trying to pull off invisible hands with one hand while the other rubbed at the pain in her stomach and chest. In the time it took to calm down and for her heart rate to lower she could barely recall the nightmare that'd waken her. She mostly only recalled the feelings of terror and despair from it. Still breathing as deeply as she could manage the lingering feelings from her nightmare faded away as she glanced over at her alarm clock as she wiped the tears from her face. She was startled to see that for once she'd waken up an hour before the blasted contraption was supposed to go off, but she wasn't ready to attempt to rejoin the land of dreams. She reached over and turned on her radio for music and turning off her alarm for the day, making sure the volume wouldn't be loud enough to wake anyone else that may have still been asleep in the house. She yanked her sheets and blankets off of her and climbed off her comfortable bed. Letting the songs on the radio soothe her further, she took her time to get ready for the day.

Once she was dressed in her school uniform and her hair was pinned up in her preferred style she sat down at her desk and decided to try to get some of her schoolwork done. She knew she needed to be better about her grades. She was failing Math and English. Numbers always left her confused and English was truly one of the hardest languages to learn. It was so full of contradictions that it was hard to make sense of it all.

Usagi had just finished the last of her homework and closed her workbook as her door opened and her mother stepped inside the room calling out to her, "Usagi, its time to get up! Your alarm didn't go off." She blinked for a moment before realizing the bed was empty. It was strange seeing such a surprised look on her mother's face.

"I had a bad dream that woke me up an hour early. I couldn't get back to sleep so I decided to go ahead and get ready for the day." Usagi spoke up as she placed her schoolwork back in her satchel. Her mother had a concerned look in her eyes as she let go of the doorknob and approached her teenage daughter.

"Do you want to talk about the nightmare?" She questioned as she gave her oldest child a warm hug. She sighed when she felt her daughter shake her head negatively.

"Not really. I don't remember enough to make any sense of it." The two women stopped embracing. "Mom, I know I've been struggling with Math and English in school. I might need to find a tutor... The results of our last English test come back today, and I doubt I did well on it." She almost didn't say anything to her mother about it, but she hadn't forgotten getting locked outside the last time she failed a test.

"Yes, that might be a good idea. Talk to your teacher about it, I'm sure she'll know who to suggest you ask. In the meantime, Your father and I can try to help you study. I'll talk to him about it for you." She beamed at her daughter, happy to see that Usagi was showing a sign that she was maturing. "Come downstairs, We can fix your bento for lunch together, and I'll make you breakfast."

It wasn't long before Usagi found herself walking down the sidewalk to school for the first time in a long while. She couldn't remember the last time she wasn't running late and actually had the chance to enjoy the beauty around her as she walked to school. As she got closer to her school, she noticed a small black cat trying to avoid and dodge all of the numerous people walking on the busy sidewalk. Without a thought as to why she shouldn't touch a potentially stray cat, she scooped the cat off the ground with ease and whispered soothingly to it as she stepped closer to the tall brick wall that stood opposite of the street. Before she could lift her arms to place the cat onto the wall, it managed to scratch her hand and jumped up to the top of the wall on its own. She stared up at the cat, startled at its sudden reaction, and oddly enough for a moment, the cat met her stare seeming almost surprised. She didn't know how long her eyes were locked with the black feline's, but she was snapped out of it when a tall and handsome boy, probably a high schooler, bumped into her on accident. She let out a startled yelp as he barely caught her before she hit the ground.

"I'm so sorry, miss! I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?" His beautiful blue eyes shimmered with concern as he helped her back to her feet. His black hair messy and dancing slightly in the breeze. She had a sense of Deja Vu and felt like she'd seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't put her finger on where.

"I'm alright. I understand how easily it can be to get distracted." She smiled warmly at him, and for a moment it seemed to catch him by surprise. "Thank you for catching me. I was a bit distracted myself." She giggled softly at her own words. Who gets distracted staying a random cat in the eyes? From the paper in his hand, he'd been reading it as he walked, so it was very easy to understand why they ended up colliding. ]

"I'm Chiba, Mamoru. You go to Juuban Municipal Junior High School, right? I'd like to walk you there, if you don't mind, to make up for running into you. It's not that far from Moto Azabu High School." She blinked not sure why he'd want to waste his time hanging around her, but Usagi certainly wouldn't mind getting to know the handsome boy.

"Tsukino, Usagi," she smiled as she introduced herself and they bowed politely to one another. "I don't mind you walking with me, but are you sure you'd want to be walking with a middle schooler? It could make people think we are dating." She warned with a small but bright smile on her face. For a day where she didn't feel like smiling, she couldn't seem to stop smiling around him. It was odd, but she wasn't going to question the sudden change in her mood. He handed her her bag, which had fallen to the ground when they had collided and they walked side by side and a decent pace towards the middle school. "So what's it like being a high schooler?" She questioned while watching him from the corner of her eye.

"Not so different from middle school I suppose. Just slightly harder classes and more pressure to figure out what you want to do after high school." He smiled back at her. "Have you any thoughts on what you want to do when you are an adult?"

Her eyes twinkled up at him in the sunlight. "I have a few thoughts. I was thinking of maybe becoming a manga artist or a voice actress, but I'm not really all that talented. I might not even be able to get into the high school, I struggle in school a little too much." She admitted a small frown forming on her lips at the thought of her flaws.

"You have a lovely voice, I could see you as a voice actor. I'd love to see any drawings you've done. You shouldn't judge yourself so harshly. What subjects are you struggling with, if I may ask?" He was really trying to make her feel better, and she couldn't help but smile again.

"Math and English mostly, though I'm sure I could use a bit more work in the other subjects. I was actually talking to my mom about trying to find a tutor earlier." She answered, wondering why it was so easy to talk to him. She felt like she could talk to him about anything and everything.

"I have some free time. I wouldn't mind tutoring you and helping you with your other subject as well. I'd do it for free, in fact." He offered his time without hesitation and she found herself caught off guard that such a smart and handsome man would be so willing to help someone he didn't know so quickly.

"If your sure, we could probably meet at the Royal Crown Arcade and Diner after classes let out afterschool. Do you know where it is?" She suggested still a little awestruck.

"That'll work perfectly. We can start tomorrow afternoon to give us both time to prepare. Yeah, I know the Furuhata's. Their son is a friend and classmate of mine." Mamoru grinned. Seeing that they both knew and were friends with Furuhata Motoki and his sister, they spent the rest of the walk to school sharing stories of their mutual friends. Neither Usagi or Mamoru noticed the black cat Usagi had aided following several paces behind them.

The walk to school when far faster than Usagi would have liked, but she waved goodbye to Mamoru, wishing him a good day and thanking him for walking with her. A few of her classmates and other students were hanging around outside the school and the ones that recognized her stared at her in complete shock that she was not just on time but early for school for the first time in as long as they could remember. They were even more shocked at the tall high schooler that had been walking with her. Naru swarmed her quickly with Kuri and Yumiko at her heels.

"Usagi, you're early!" Kuri exclaimed as she placed a friendly hand on Usagi's shoulder Her brown eyes shining as her short brown hair shined in the sunlight.

"Is everything okay?" Naru questioned, her eyes shining in concern at how out of character it was for Usagi to be so early. Her wavy auburn hair matched her emerald eyes wonderfully.

"Who was that hunk you were walking with?!" Yumiko exclaimed as her brown eyes stared after Mamoru's retreating form, her long black hair swaying against her back.

The blonde-haired middle schooler blushed at the rash of questions. "Yeah, I had a nightmare that woke me up before my alarm started its first round of beeps and I couldn't get back to sleep so I got up early today." She smiled softly as she answered Kuri's question while slowly getting the group to migrate closer to the front entrance of the school. "I'm fine, Naru. I promise." She grinned at her best and oldest friend, hoping to ease her concern. Was it truly that startling for her to be early for once? "Mamoru accidentally ran into me on the way to school and wanted to walk with me to make up for it. We ended up talking about school and he offered to tutor me after classes." She felt almost jealous at the thought of Yumiko finding him attractive and she couldn't figure out where the feeling came from. She couldn't have feelings for him considering they had just met not an hour ago.

The quartet of girls entered their classroom and settled into their seats. Miss Haruna hadn't arrived yet, but like many of the other teachers, she was usually the last people to enter the classroom, not counting those that tended o be tardy like Usagi normally was. The three girls quietly joked about how surprised their teacher would be to see Usagi not tardy for once. Usagi hoped she wouldn't make too big a deal out of it like the rest of their classmates seemed to be.

"Good morning ladies!" The ever dorky Umino Gurio popped up behind them out of seemingly nowhere, startling the four girls who yelped loudly. Naru playfully swatted Gurio's shoulder and Usagi giggled as Yumiko and Kuri randed at him for scaring them. "So, Usagi, the school hasn't even opened yet and there are already rumors about you dating a highschool boy. Is it true?"

The four girls sighed and shook their heads, the boy was more of a gossip than most girls they knew. It was a little strange. "No, it's not true. He is going to be tutoring me to help me get better grades but he is not my boyfriend. Besides, we all know my dad doesn't plan to allow me to date until I'm close to thirty." Usagi sighed and shook her head in misery at the thought while her friends nodded sympathetically. Her dad was so overprotective of her that it was a wonder he didn't have her homeschooled all together. Before more could be said a chime sounded and the class representative stood fro her seat. The rest of the class scrambled to stand next to their desks before Miss Haruna walked into the classroom. Miss Haruna's gorgeous hazel eyes scanned the room as she stepped into the room, her brown hair swaying with each step. Her eyes lingered on Usagi as the woman paused for just a moment at the sight of the normally tardy blonde. She flashed a warm smile at Usagi, happy for the sudden change.

"Good Morning, Miss Haruna!" The class bowed as they called out their greeting to her as she stopped behind her desk.

"Good morning everyone. Please take your seats so we can get started."

The school day passed quickly without incident, aside from numerous people asking her about the 'mysterious man' that had walked her to school. She was certain Mamoru would find it amusing, but it was starting to get on her nerves. Was it that much of a surprise to see her walking with a handsome guy? She also didn't like how they were all assuming that he was related to her, if not dating her. She'd never been in the middle of rumors like this before and she quickly decided that she didn't like the feeling. For once she wanted them all to leave her alone, aside from Naru.

Despite her gossiping school mates, the day had gone well. Now that school was out, Usagi found herself walking towards Naru's home and family shop, the Osaka Jewelry store, with Kuri and Yumiko chattering away with Naru about potential sales on jewelry. "Don't feel so down, Usagi. I'm sure your parents might go a bit easier on you now that you found that hunk to tutor you. Now all you have to do is try not to daydream and drool after him while he's helping you." Naru teased playfully trying to boost her mood. The observant brunette never let her stay down or mopey for long. Usagi knew her friend couldn't stand to see her sad or upset.

"I hope you're right, Naru." The blonde sighed. She truly hated letting her parents down. Then she visually perked up a little. "I wonder what your mom has on sale today." She sighed wistfully at the thought. She doubted she had enough allowance saved up to get anything that might catch her eye. And with her latest test score, there was no way her parents would buy her jewelry. She kept the smile frozen to her face as she tried to shove the subject from her mind once more.

"Oh man, look at that crowd!" Kuri exclaimed as they reached Osaka Jewelry. The inside of the store appeared to be swarming with women, many were struggling to just get into the door. "That must be on insane sale going on." Yumiko pipped up as they gazed into the windows. A small wave of women stepped out of the shop, arms loaded with bags. It gave the four girls more than enough space to get inside and have a look around themselves. The four girls were quickly separated by the pushing and pulling crowd of women. Usagi managed to find a safe place to stand near Naru's mother, Mayumi. The poor woman seemed stressed. There was an almost unnoticeable dark ring around her eyes and something just felt off about her smile. The moment her eyes landed on Usagi she started showing her some jewelry but wasn't acting as she usually did around her. As she looked around for anything that would catch her eye, she did spot a beautiful but simple necklace with a silver charm shaped like a crescent moon. She stared at it mournfully, not wanting to take advantage of the sale with the unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach despite how drawn she felt. It was like it was meant for her.

She decided to leave before the temptation became too much. It was just as she finally managed to get back out the door that Usagi noticed Mamoru staring into the store with a curious look on his face. What surprised her was the very fancy looking suit he was now wearing. Feeling a little nervous and maybe a little shy, she decided not to say anything to him as she passed behind him. She was going to head home to face her mother and the consequences of her actions. Hopefully, the fact that she found herself a tutor will help tone down whatever punishment her mother would decide on. She never noticed that his eyes were watching her reflection in the glass.

Usagi arrived home earlier than she usually did since she decided not to head over to the Crown Arcade and Diner like she normally did. Her mom wasn't home from the market, though she'd probably return home soon to start on dinner. She went upstairs, turned on her radio so she wasn't working on her homework in complete silence and got to work. She was only halfway done when she heard the front door open and her mother calls out a greeting from the front door. Deciding this was the perfect time to stop, for now, Usagi grabbed her failed English test and made her way back downstairs.

"Hey mom, I got the results from my Engish test today. I failed spectacularly. But I do have some good news." Usagi spoke as soon as she was bowing apologetically to her mother. "I have managed to find a high school student willing to teach me. And he doesn't want anything in return." While Ikuko looked disappointed at the failing grade, she was happy at how Usagi was approaching it for once. Her daughter was showing a sign of maturity here, and she knew she'd need to encourage it. She was a little concerned that a highschool boy had offered his time for free like that, but she knew her sweet girl was a good judge of character.

"Usagi, it's okay. You are taking the steps to correct it. That's very mature of you, so I will let you off lightly this time." She smiled at her daughter as she straightened from her bow and moved to hug her mother. "I'm going to want to hear more details about this boy and how you met him, but have you finished your homework yet?" She started to frown when Usagi shook her head.

"No, but I'm about halfway done. I know you'd have been upset with me had I waited to talk about the test when you first got home." Usagi pulled away from the hug and flashed her mother a bright smile. "I'll go back upstairs and finish." Her mom nodded, excusing Usagi to go finish her homework, and smiled to herself as she watched her bubbly daughter make her way back up the stairs in a seemingly better mood. It was dinner time, by the time Usagi completed her homework to the best of her ability. Seriously why did math and English be so difficult?

Dinner flew by and she helped her mom clean up afterward while Kenji, her father, and Shingo, her little brother went about entertaining themselves in the living room. She told Ikuko everything about her walk to school that morning, from aiding the cat with the strange crescent marking on its forehead to Mamoru running into her, what they talked about and how he even chose to walk her to school. She even told her how they planned to start tutoring sessions after school at the Furuhata's crown arcade tomorrow. Usagi couldn't hide her blush when Ikuko asked her if the boy was cute.

Eventually, Usagi went upstairs as she was getting ready for bed when she heard something scratching at her window. Confused, she walked over to the little balcony that was connected to her room and opened the glass door. She stepped out and looked around. Not seeing anyone in sight, Usagi looked towards the beautiful sight that was the moon, pausing for a few moments to enjoy the serenity before she turned to go back inside. She paused in her door frame, staring in surprise at the cat from earlier sitting on her bed watching her intently. "Well hello, there pretty kitty. Did you follow me all the way here?" The blonde greeted as she walked closer to the cat.

"I've been looking for you for quite a while, Usagi." The womanly voice was sudden and unexpected. The cat was looking at her expectantly, as she spun around trying to figure out where the voice came from. "I'm right here. I need you to listen to me." Usagi watched in stunned silence as the cat's mouth moved and made sounds that should never come from a normal cat's mouth.

"I... I must be dreaming... Am I delirious from not sleeping well last night?" The blonde asked herself out loud as she stumbled over to her desk chair feeling very unsteady. She reached up and pinched her arm in an attempt to wake herself up. "This is no dream, Usagi. I'm not your run of the mill house cat or stray. I am Luna, a survivor of the planet Mau and advisor to the heir of the Silver Millennium." The feline held up her paw in greeting to the confused middle schooler. "I'll save the bigger explanation for when I have found the other four guardians who are to aid you in the battle against our enemy, the Negaverse.

Usagi sighed and shook her head. "Alright, Luna... Say I believe you and this isn't a dream I can't wake myself from. How do you know I'm one of these guardians you've been looking for? There isn't anything about me that stands out, aside from my hair." She was far more self-aware than many gave her credit for. Luna purred happily that the blonde was willing to hear her out. "I can sense it. The powerful energy sleeping inside you. First things first, allow me to give you something that was meant for only you." Luna stood and stretched for a moment. Then she did a backflip. There was a flash of light surrounding her black fur that fades just as quickly as it appeared. Luna was standing on the bed once more and sitting on the bed in front of her was a large gold broach in the shape of a circle with little gems of orange, red, blue, and green at the for points. There were a crescent moon and star, as well as some circles engraved into the brooch. There was no denying its lunar theme. The whole thing looked like a star that could have fallen from the sky.

Usagi was awestruck as she pushed herself to her feet and moved to pick up the beautiful trinket. "It looks expensive... Are you sure this is supposed to be mine?" She hesitated, not comfortable with just accepting such an extravagant gift. "Let's test it and see then, shall we? Hold it in a way that feels natural to you and close your eyes." Luna paused as she watched her first charge follow her instructions hesitantly. "Now I'm going to say a phrase and I want you to repeat it exactly. The word for word. While you say it I want you to remember what you feel." Luna couldn't help the toothy grin on her face as she saw Usagi nod in understanding. "Moon Prism Power! Makeup!" Without wasting a second, Usagi called out after her. "Moon Prism Power! Make-up!" And she was enveloped in bright, warm light.

Ribbons swarmed her from collar to groin before merging to form a top that was similar to the blouse of her school uniform, except she had short puffy sleeves that somehow managed to be skin tight like the rest of the top. The red bow on her chest was far larger than the one on her school uniform. She didn't seem to notice that the brooch was spinning in the air between her hands as she guided it, without actually touching it, to the center of her bow. She stretched her arms upward and ribbons coiled around her arms and formed white elbow-length gloves. Then her feet were ensnared in ribbons that became bright red knee-high boots. The top trim of the boots was white with a golden crescent with the edges pointing towards the sky. A red choker with a golden crescent in the same position as the ones on her boots forms around her neck. Golden star and moon earrings suddenly dangled from her ears as though they'd always been there. Then she felt herself spinning as a blue fuku appeared on her hips. It was far shorter than any fuku she'd ever worn before, barley reaching her thighs. She tilted her head back and cool metal spread across her forehead in the form of a tiara with a reddish-pink gem in the center. White clips appeared in her hair, which was now back in her normal hairstyle. Red circular clips appeared in her buns. She opened her eyes and found herself doing a strange two-fingered salute with the back of her knuckle lightly touching her forehead and her other hand resting on her hip as the light faded. She blinked, letting her arms fall to her sides as she glanced down at herself. "What in the-" She interrupted herself as she turned to look into the mirror. "Okay, I believe you, but why this outfit of all things? It doesn't look like it will provide much protection in any sort of fight... I look like a magical girl from a manga..."

"You are wearing the official uniform of the Sailor Guardians of old. You are right though. it may not be much defense against our enemies. I'll see what I can figure out about making it more practical. Now, as you can see I was right, you are Sailor Moon. You are the Sailor Guardian of the Moon. With the power from your Planetary Guardian, it is up to you to help me find the Sailor Guardians of the other planets." Luna's long-winded speech was suddenly interrupted by the new heroine. "Planetary Guardian? The moon isn't a planet, it revolves around the Earth. How is it the source of my power and not say, Earth or another actual planet?" Luna sighed at the question.

"I was going to wait to say this, but I suppose you should know this now rather than later. Thousands of years ago, the moon wasn't a lifeless rock. It was the home of the Lunarians and the birthplace of the Silver Alliance. Every planet, in our solar system, except for Earth was part of the Alliance, and the leader of the Alliance was Queen Serenity of the Moon. She was a descendant of the Goddess Selene, and the wielder of a great power many wanted for themselves. She was the Keeper of the Legendary Silver Crystal, which was handed down from mother to daughter for generations." She paused, holding her paw to stop Usagi from interrupting her. "The Earth and Moon were at odds, Earthlings were afraid that the Lunarians were going to enslave or destroy them, while the Lunarians felt the people of Earth were too uncivilized and barbaric. They felt it better to try to protect Earth from outside interference and allow them to settle their internal problems. Earthlings and Lunarians weren't allowed on each other's planets and contact between anyone but the King of the Earth and the Queen of the Moon was forbidden." A Very sad look appeared on the feline's face.

"I was assigned to be the advisor to the Moon's Princess and future ruler. The princess broke the law and went to Earth. There she met and eventually fell in love with the Prince of Earth. Despite the odds, their parents decided to allow them to marry and allow Earth to finally join the Alliance. Unfortunately, a great evil awoke on Earth, one that had once been sealed there by a Queen of the Moon, with the aid of a jealous woman who wanted the prince for herself. The people of the Earth were brainwashed, all but the Prince himself, who fled to the moon for safety and to warn the Alliance of what was happening. They attacked the moon. All of the Sailor Guardians died trying to defend the moon and protect the princess. Both the Inner and Outer Guardian groups were there that horrible night. The prince was slain protecting his princess and she was killed shortly after. Seeing no hope in sight, Queen Serenity made her wish upon the legendary crystal. She sealed the great evil and her minions back on Earth. Then, she sent the souls of all the Sailor Guardians, the Princess, and her Prince to Earth to be reborn in the distant future to be there should the seal break, but to also live happy lives as she wished they could have in their original lives. Before she died from using the crystal, she placed me and another advisor into stasis chambers and sent us to Earth to find and awaken the powers dormant in your guardians should the need arise." She sighed as she sat down on Usagi's bed. "I wish I didn't have to find and awakened you, but I have no choice in the matter now. The seal has broken and the Earth will be destroyed if we cannot stop them."

Usagi walked over to Luna and lifted her into her arms, cuddling her gently. "You poor thing... Having to live through that and then being put to sleep for so long. I don't know how you managed to get accustomed to daily life in the present... It must have been very difficult..." Luna nuzzled Usagi's cheek. "Thank you for being so kind and understanding. Now-" Luna was interrupted this time by a cry for help that suddenly rang out from the red hair clips in Usagi's buns as if it were a radio. "That... That sounds like Naru." The blonde gasped as she looked down at Luna. "Then there's no time to waste. Sailor Moon lets go save your friend." Nodding to Luna, Usagi walked over to her balcony, opened it then leaped out into the night without a thought.

Sailor Moon stumbled to a stop in front of the Osaka Jewelry store, which housed her friend's home above the shop. The building was locked up tight and she knew it.

Guardian Moon stumbled to a stop in front of the Osaka Jewelry store, which housed her friend's home above the shop. The building was locked up tight and she knew it. She looked around, noticing the light shining out of the open window of the second floor of the jewelry store half of the building. She knew she couldn't jump to it. "Luna, how can I get to that open window?" She questioned the black cat that had managed to stay on her shoulder during her sprint over. "You should be able to jump to the top of that street light. From there jump to the window." Nodding at the instructions, Sailor Moon took a running start before she leaped into the air and landed on the light pole. She wavered, feeling a bit unsteady, yet thankful that she didn't slip off clumsily and fall back to the ground. From there she bent her legs and took a breath before she took another running leap at the window. She pulled herself onto the windowsill as Luna hoped down to stand on it. "I'll stay here out of your way, but I'll provide as much guidance as I can. Be careful." The blonde heroine nodded as she surveyed the room. The window was right next to the upper-tier area of the jewelry store, so she quickly darted over to the floor and peered over the railing. It took her no time at all to see what appeared to be a monstrous version of Naru's mother choking her best friend out with a single clawed hand. There was no time to be subtle or sneaky.

"Let her go!" Guardian Moon balanced herself carefully on the railing as she yelled out as loud as she could to make sure she was heard. The ghoulish looking woman paused and her head spun around. The blonde hero grimaced in disgust at the sight. "I said let her go." A creepy grin formed on the creature's face. "And who are you supposed to be?" "I'm the pretty suited sailor guardian of love and justice, Sailor Moon! This is a place of business and a store that helps couples show their love to one another. In the name of the moon, I will punish you!" The blonde heroine fought to keep a straight face as she blurted out the first words to come to mind. She couldn't believe the word vomit that she spewed. She sounded like a cheesy cartoon hero.

"Eh, never heard of you." The woman shrugged, Naru was starting to turn in the ghoulish woman's grasp. Suddenly it tossed Naru aside, not caring as the petite redhead hit the wall and dropped to the ground. The rest of its body turned with a snap as one of its hands shot out at the heroine, spike-like nails protruding from its fingertips ready to pierce her. With a startled yelp at the speed the sharp points came at her, the blonde heroine narrowly dodged the attack. Swipe after swipe she clumsily avoided the nightmarish woman's claws.

The ghoulish youma quickly grew bored with the game of cat and mouse and snapped her fingers with a cruel chuckle. "Enough of this little girl. Why don't you play with these people for a while? I've better things to do than entertain myself with you." Suddenly the glass doors shattered and numerous human women charged into the room heading straight for Guardian Moon.

The Lunar Guardian recognized many of the faces in the crown despite their doll-like expressions. A scream tore from her lips as she was quickly overwhelmed. She wasn't going to raise her hand against a human. Her red hair clips picked up the sound and amplified it, sending out a loud ear bursting blast that knocked the brainwashed humans out cold on the ground and left the ghoulish youma shrieking in pains at it tried to cover its ears.

"Stop crying, Guardian Moon." A very male voice called out startling the teenage heroine as a beautiful red rose in full bloom flew through the air and embedded itself through the youma's shoulder. She jerked up to look at the window where he'd entered and standing right next to a startled Luna was a man in a black tuxedo. "Stand up and calm your mind. You are here to fight this youma, aren't you?" His voice was harsh but clear as he glanced down at her. Gulping air to calm herself, she nodded to him and turned to glare at the now recovered youma, that was now charging at her angrily.

"Guardian Moon! Your tiara! Use your Tiara!" Luna shouted from her perch on the windowsill as she worriedly watched the completely unprepared and untrained heroine's fight. Guardian Moon wasn't quick enough to dodge the youma's attack and she was thrown to the side with three deep and heavily bleeding gashes on her forearm. She toppled over the shelve that caught her painfully. Fire danced in the little blonde's eyes as another rose flew through the air, preventing the creature from charging at her again.

Guardian Moon pushed herself to her feet, biting back a groan of pain as she reached up with her uninjured right arm and tore the tiara from her head. Her blood trickled down her left arm she the tiara began to spin in her hand until it was nothing but a glowing disk radiating moonlight. Raising her other arm to match it she began to spin, winding herself up to launch her attack as the words filled her mind. "Moon Tiara Action!" She yelled out her attack as she flung it like a frisbee at the youma. At the last moment, the Youma dodged it and moved to charge Sailor Moon once more when it noticed the smirk on the little heroine's lips. "What's so amus-" it began before the shape spinning moonlit disk tore into the side of its neck. It let loose a strangled cry as it's oozing ink-like blood spurted from the wound. The tiara flew back to Sailor Moon's waiting hand and vanished before reappearing on her forehead once more.

The youma grasped at its neck with one hand as it gave a shrill shriek and began to attack the blonde girl in a frenzy of swipes with its deadly claws. The heroine was tired and exhausted. She clumsily tried to avoid its claws looking for another opportunity to pull her tiara back out. "Guardian Moon!" Luna cried out in fear as she turned to look at the domino masked man. "Please, help her. She can't defend herself again without an opening!" The man raised an eyebrow at the talking cat but nodded in understanding. Now wasn't the time for questions.

The blonde tried to dodge another attack and found herself pinned to the wall with the sharpened points embedded in the stone around her head. She couldn't move without escape without getting cut. The youma pulled its bloodied hand from its neck and moved to impale her in its deadly claws when multiple sharpened roses pierced the wound in its neck. A strangled cry escaped it as it began to fall to the side. A blur of black yanked Sailor Moon forward, and out of the path of the deadly claws as they scrapped across the wall as the youma hit the ground with a heavy thud. It wasn't moving. The two heroes stared at the downed Youma, neither seeming to notice how comfortably he was holding onto her.

"Is it... Is it dead?" She murmured in shock at how close she'd come to dying." "Yeah... I believe so." Luna jumped down to sniff it. "Yes, thanks to both your efforts, it's dead. Now, why don't the three of us relocate before the authorities arrive? We can find a safe place to talk." The masked man glanced down at the worn-out and injured girl and sighed. She was looking pretty pale and a little green.

Guardian Moon let out a startled yelp as he suddenly picked her up bridal style and got them outside the building with Luna at his heels. Luna followed him to a secluded park where he set the blonde down on a bench and pulled out some medical equipment from what appeared to be nowhere. "You have a subspace pocket too? Intriguing." Luna spoke softly as she watched him clean the gashes on her new charge's arm.

"I'll tend to her wounds then we part ways here. I'm sure we'll run into one another again. Next time, lets both try to be better prepared." He advised calmly, not seeming to notice as both females flinched at his words, as well as stinging of getting wounds cleaned. "I'm going to have to stitch this up so it won't get infected, be sure to take care of it. I'd rather my efforts here not go to waste." Guardian Moon flinched once more at his tone while Luna glared at him. "Look here, Tux Boy. It's not her fault. I didn't find her fast enough to be able to give her some training before the youma started causing problems." The two heroes blinked as they paused to stare wide-eyed at the feline. "Besides, unlike her, you only acted when prompted. It seems to me you need training too."

"Fair enough. So Guardian Moon? What was with that little introduction you did in there?" He smirked as an embarrassed blush colored her cheeks. "I just blurted out the first thing to come to mind. I had to get its attention or it would have killed that girl. If I can help it I won't ever say something so stupid and corny again..." She was so distracted by the conversation that she didn't notice how quickly he was stitching up her arm, but Luna did. "You are quite skilled... Are you a doctor?" He startled at the question. "N-no, but I want to be one. It's my dream job, to be honest." The two females smiled at him. "That is a worthy dream. I believe you will succeed if you apply yourself, but don't forget that you have to take care of yourself as well." Luna advised as he tied off the last stitch. He nodded to the two of them as he put the rest of his supplies back into his subspace pocket.

Pulling himself to his feet, he gave them both a small smirk. Till next time then, I suppose." He suddenly vanished in a swirl of rose petals with a swoosh of his cloak. The two females stared in shock. "Wait, he never told us what we should call him..." The blonde pouted at the realization as Luna shook her head. "Maybe we'll get it out of him next time. Come one, it's late. We better get you home so you can get some sleep before school." Luna jumped onto Guardian Moon's shoulder, who jumped to her feet at the mention of school. "Oh, man... Your right! Tomorrow's gonna suck even more with less sleep." She complained as she began to sprint back towards her home, neither female noticing the piercing blue eyes of the masked man as he watched them leave from the trees.


	2. Chapter 2

Usagi yawned as she sat down at her desk. She didn't get much sleep after she and Luna had returned to her home after the fight. Her dreams were filled with shadowy figures with cruel laughter and screams. She kept waking up and eventually gave up trying ten minutes before her alarm was set to go off. So for the second day in a row, Usagi got to school early. She was anxious. There were so many thoughts flying through her worn-out mind. Where were Naru and her mother? Were they okay? It was good luck that her uniform sleeves hid her bandaged and stitched arm well. It wasn't bulky, so as long as she was careful and no one hits her arm no one would know about the injury.

"Hey, Usagi!" The sudden loud voice of Gurio piped up behind her and she nearly jumped out of her desk in surprise. "Gurio, do you always have to scare me like that?" She whined pitifully at her male friend. "Oh sorry Usagi. I didn't mean to." He stammered, he looked rather sad. "Hey, are you okay?" Concern and worry about dancing in her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine... I just wanted to know if you heard about what happened to Naru. She and her mom are in the hospital." Usagi gasped at the news her hands clasping together at her chest. "Oh no... We should visit them. I'll have to go after I finish studying with my tutor, but you don't have to wait for me to visit her." He smiled sadly at the blonde. "Yeah, that's a good idea. She can check on our other classmates that were found unconscious at the scene too. The police aren't telling us what happened, but maybe Naru can when I visit her. " Usagi nodded, thinking the same thing. She needed to know what Naru remembered. No one was going to be surprised at the fact that there was another youma attack. They'd been happening for a while, survivors were rare. So, of course, the police were probably freaked out at the sight of a real youma, especially a dead one.

"Alright, everyone. Before we begin class as normal I have an announcement. Ms. Haruna announced, not bothering to wait for the class rep, who was also absent. "There was another youma attack yesterday. Many of your classmates are recovering in the hospital though they should be back in a few days. Naru Osaka and her mother are also in the hospital, but it is undetermined when they will be released and Naru will return to us. Keep them in your hearts and remember to be careful no matter where you go. These attacks seem to be getting more frequent and not everyone is lucky enough to survive them."

After school, Usagi found herself walking along to the school gates. Her other friends had also been in the hospital. She hadn't noticed them among the crowd, but apparently, they had been there too. Gurio was walking at some of his other friends since Naru wasn't around for him to pester. She was a little startled at the group of giggling girls that were suddenly hanging around the gate. As she got closer she realized Mamoru was there leaning against the gate. He was aware of the girls and seemed a little annoyed at their antics. The girls kept approaching him, trying to flirt and get to know him. She frowned at the girls, wishing they'd take his hints. He wanted them to leave him alone.

"Mamoru? Were you waiting for me?" Usagi called out once she was close enough, raising her voice just a little bit to ensure he could hear her over them. She watched his head snapped over to look in her direction and a grateful smile appear on his lips. "Ah, Usagi!" He called out in greeting as he pushed off the brick wall and walked through the crowd of girls. "Yes, I figured I'd walk with you to the Crown Parlour. If that's alright?" She gave him a bright smile. "Of course it's alright." The two began to walk side by side, The gaggle of girls behind them was now glaring at her back, but with any luck maybe now they'd leave him alone if he ever decided to wait for her again.

The duo walked side by side at a simple pace, but Mamoru was quick to notice something was bothering Usagi. "Hey, is everything okay?" She sighed softly. "I hope so. You heard that there was a youma attack at Osaka Jewelry last night, right" She looked up at him and noticed the concern in his eyes. "Yeah. It was in the news this morning." "My best friend Naru and her mother live there. They are in the hospital right now, along with many of my classmates. I'm just worried about them." The black-haired high school student placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want to skip the tutoring session and go visit with all of them?" "Thank you but no. Naru would want me to go to our tutoring session before I go visit so she can try to drill me for details." She smiled softly at the thought. "Much like most of my classmates, she can be a bit boy crazy." He laughed at that.

When they arrived at the Crown Parlour, Mamoru opened the door for her, before she could even reach for it. "Good afternoon, Usagi! Oh, hey Mamoru!" The blonde cashier and waiter called out to the duo in greeting. "Hey, Motoki!" They both greeted, the blonde man's happiness was infectious. "Hey, Usagi. When you see your friend, Naru, let her know we're all thinking about her and hope she and her mother recover swiftly. Your milkshake is on the house today!" The blonde teenager smiled and nodded her head in thanks as Mamoru lead her to a booth as far away from the arcade as he could find to make sure it wouldn't distract her. "We'll be over here starting our tutoring session.

They sat across from each other in the booth and Usagi pulled out her textbooks and workbooks. "Where would you like to start?" She was a little nervous. She's never had someone tutor her like this before. "First let's review your most recently failed tests. That should give me an idea of what you are currently working on and how I can help you with them. Once we go over that we can work on your homework and I can review your other subjects and help you with them as needed." Mamoru suggested as Motoki placed two large chocolate milkshakes complete with whipped cream and cherries on the table. The blonde man handed them both a straw as he winked at them. "Have fun!" He sang in a joking manner as he danced away to the music playing to tend to other customers.

Mamoru playfully glared at Motoki as Usagi pulled out her failed math and English tests and placed them on the table in front of him. She winced at the grades circled in red and hopes he wouldn't give her a hard time over it. He looked down at the math paper first, silently going over it in his head. "Ah, variables, terms, and expressions. I struggled with these myself." Usagi blinked in shock as he pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and a pencil. He wrote down the first problem on the page then turned it sideways so she could work alongside him.

"A variable is a symbol, usually a letter, that is used to represent an unknown number. A term can be a number, a variable, or both combined by multiplication or division. An Expression can be a term or a collection of terms separated by addition or subtraction operators. Here are some examples that might help." Mamoru paused as he wrote on the blank paper. "5xyz has one term. 3x+2y-2x+6 has four terms. Does that make sense?" Usagi had a serious look on her face as she confirmed that she understood what he was saying.

"Let's continue. The number, regardless if it is positive or negative in the algebraic term is called coefficient. For example, for the term 4x, 4 is the coefficient. For the term -7y, -7 is the coefficient. Keep in mind, the coefficient of 1 in an algebraic term is not usually written. 1Y can simply be written as y. 1y and y are the same."

"Okay, so let's start with this one. Yui is five times as old as Akito. The sum of their ages is eighteen. How old are Yui and Akito? Lets let x represent Akito's age. Therefore, Yui's age is 5x. x+5x=18. So what do you think we do first?" He smiled warmly at her as he grabbed his milkshake and took a long sip.

"We add x+5x... Right?" Usagi asked hesitantly after a few moments of silence, between sips of her milkshake.

"That's correct. And I know what you are thinking how do you add a letter to a number with a letter? Well, it's actually really simple. Think of it as you have 5 x's and you are adding one more which makes 6 x's. So that makes 6x =18." He paused taking another sip of his milkshake. "Now we know that 6 times x equals 18, what do you think we should do next?"

Usagi bit her lip as she stared at the paper for a few moments. "We... Divide right?" He grinned. "Divide it how?" "Uh... Well.. 18 divided by 6... I don't see how 6 can be divided by 18..."

Mamoru's smile grew. "Good, very good. You are correct. So what is eighteen divided by six?" She blinked before grinning back at him. "Eighteen divided by six is three so x is three."

"Correct, but we aren't done just yet. Now we need to figure out how old Yui is." Usagi blinked at that. "She's not 18?" Mamoru chuckled. "No, reread the question for me."

"Yui is five times as old as Akito. The sum of their ages is eighteen. How old are Yui and Akito?" Usagi read out loud feeling very confused. "Eighteen dividings by six tells us Akito is three years old. So now how do we figure out how old Yui is? Any ideas." His eyes shimmered as he watched her. He knew she'd figure it out. "Three times five... So... fifteen?"

"Correct. Now let's check our work to be safe. x+5x=18. X equals three. First, five times three is?" He paused to let her answer. "Fifteen." "Right. So that changes the problem to 3+15=18. Is that correct?" Usagi grinned back at him. "Yes. Thank you, Mamoru! That made so much more sense!" He grinned right back at her. "Alright, take this paper and try redoing the rest of this test. Let's see how well you do now. When you are done go ahead and work on your homework, we can look it over as well. I'll go over your English test and see what you need help with the most."

They worked in comfortable silence until Usagi set her pencil down. "Alright, I think I'm done. I made sure to show my steps." He accepted the offered paper. "Alright, let's see..." He took a few moments to look it over then grinned as he looked back to her. "Correct. Every single one of them. Sometimes our textbooks and workbooks don't explain things very easily. Some teachers are good at making up for it and some aren't. Don't blame the teacher though. I don't know very many people who truly like it." He laughed as they raised their now empty milkshakes and clanked the glasses together playfully.

"Since your friend is in the hospital and you've already made a great stride today lets cut this session short. Give you some extra time to visit her. I've written down some tips and tricks for the issues you were having trouble with on this English test. Review this and try to memories it. This should help you. How do you usually study, if I may ask?" He held out a few pages of notes written in his clear and organized handwriting. "I usually just read the chapters as much as I can, but it doesn't seem to really help." Usagi gladly accepted the papers from Mamoru's hand and placed it safely in her workbook before she began to place her books back into her bag.

"Why don't you try writing things out, reading out loud or maybe even singing the words your reading in tune to songs your listening to? It sounds silly, I know, but that last trick really worked for a lot of people I know. It's even worked for Motoki!" He said just as Motoki was passing them to clean another table. The blonde male in question playfully glared at him but continued with his work.

Usagi giggled at their antics. "Thanks for the suggestions, I will try them." She was so very glad they'd met. He was the best tutor she could have hoped for. "Do you want me to walk with you to the hospital?" He offered as they both stood up after they finished putting their things away. "Oh, no thank you. I'll be fine. Besides, I'm sure you probably have your own homework to do. Thank you so much for your time and help, Mamoru." He smiled at her again. "Any time. You better hurry, before visiting hours end." She nodded back to him and left the arcade and diner with a bounce in her step.

Usagi entered the hospital panting. She'd ran from the nearest bus stop, but she made it and with a full hour to spare before she needed to hurry home. Before she could walk over to the help desk, she was startled by a familiar voice. "Usagi? You're here to see Naru and your other friends right?" The blonde turned to see Ms. Haruna walking towards her. She must have just gotten off the elevator. "Yes, and Naru's mother too. I'd have been here sooner, but today was my first study session with my new tutor and I know many people would be unhappy had I skipped it entirely."

The teacher perked up at her troubled student's words. "A tutor? I can't wait to see the results of your tutoring sessions. Naru and her mother are in room 309. The rest of your classmates have been released and have been sent home. You'll see them back at school soon." "Thank you for telling me, Ms. Haruna." Usagi bowed to her teacher. "We started by going over my failed math test. Mamoru decided to cut our session short so I could visit with Naru and the others. He gave me some studying advice as well as some notes on that last English test for me to review. I hope to show improvement in class soon." The teacher nodded proudly at her student, pleased that she was taking some serious steps to better herself. "Keep up the hard work, Usagi. I believe you can do anything you put your mind to. Just keep at it and you'll see. Now I'll see you tomorrow in class." With a wave, the two parted ways and Usagi made her way up to Naru and her mother's room.

Usagi made sure she had the right door before she knocked on the door labeled 309 loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to disturb anyone in the other rooms. She heard a muffled, "Come in." and gently opened the door and let herself in. "Naru, Mrs. Osaka?" She called out just as softly as she stepped into the room. She instantly noticed the heavily bandaged and peacefully sleeping Mrs. Osaka on one of the beds. Naru was sitting up with bandages around her neck, but otherwise, she looked fine. Exhausted maybe, but who wouldn't be after her ordeal.

"Usagi!"The red-headed girl perked up at the sight of her best friend. "Come here and sit," She gestured to the chair next to her bed. "How are you feeling? Do you remember anything about what happened?" The blonde asked cautiously. "I'm alright. I was saved before worse could happen. Mom wasn't so lucky, but she'll live at least." She sighed as she glances at her mother.

"That youma... It somehow stole took mom's appearance. I wouldn't have had a clue had I not noticed that after closing she wasn't following me upstairs for dinner. It was too fast. I remember screaming when turned into that ghoulish looking fiend. I managed to run from it for a little while, but it cornered me and just started choking me. That's when she appeared..." The red head's eyes took on a look of awe. "Her?" Usagi questioned, pretending to not know exactly who Naru was talking about.

"Sailor Moon! She looks just like the Sailor V in our comics, just some minor differences in appearance. She has long blonde hair in pigtails. Kinda like yours... She was wearing a blue-themed outfit that matches sailor V's orange one and long red knee-high boots. She was beautiful." Usagi has a hard time keeping herself from blushing at her friend's praise. "She showed up out of nowhere, though I think she got in through the window. How she got up there I have no clue, but she got the youma's attention and got it to toss me aside. Then she fought it! I passed out before I could see what happened after they started fighting."

"Wow... A real-life superhero-like Sailor V... Maybe she's here to put a stop to all those stories of mass killings and incidents with only recorded footage of youma attacking people." The blonde suggested to her friend. "That has to be it. Maybe they are her personal enemies and she made it her life's mission to defeat them!" Naru ran with it. "Oh! Right!" Naru suddenly exclaimed startling Usagi. "Eh?!" "How was your first tutoring session with that hunk? I assume that's the only reason why you didn't get here sooner to visit us." The red-haired girl let loose a giggle.

"Mamoru I really good at what he does. He let me leave early today so we could visit and left me with some notes and tips for studying English tonight, but while I was there we went over our last math test. Here, let me show you!" Usagi dug into her bag and pulled out both her failed test and the paper she'd used when reworking the problems. "She handed both to her friend and she was pleased to see the look of surprise on Naru's face. "This is your handwriting too... and he didn't just give you the answers?" The blonde shook her head negatively. "No, he went over the first one step by step and then had me redo the rest on my own once he felt I understood it. After he went back over it and told me it was all correct."

"Woah. That is amazing... Maybe you'll start giving Gurio and even that genius girl Mizuno Ami a challenge for the top student at this rate. I'm glad he figured out a way to help you better understand it." The two girls spent the rest of Usagi's visit going over Naru's missed schoolwork, so she wouldn't be as behind either. They joked and laughed, Usagi wanted to do the best she could to get Naru's mind off of her ordeal or how badly injured her mother had been. Eventually visiting hours were over and it was time for Usagi to head home. Gave Naru a tight hug, thankful that her friend was so strong. She'd been worried that the whole ordeal would change her brave and courageous friend into a former shell of her self.

The sun was setting as Usagi opened the front door and let herself inside her house. "I'm home," she called out as she slipped off her shoes and pulled on her slippers. "Dinner's almost ready! Can you set help your brother set the table?" Her mother's words floated from the kitchen. " Usagi made her way into the kitchen with a tired smile. She was glad to be home. She helped Shingo reach the plate ware that was only slightly out of his reach. "Usa, stop! I can get it myself!" Her brother voiced his displeasure at needing his big sister's help. It was a strange feeling, realizing how tall her baby brother was getting. "Nah, I'd rather help you than take the risk of you accidentally hurting yourself trying to reach them." She grinned at Shingo knowing full well that she was the klutz out of the two of them. She laughed as he sputtered at her words. The table was quickly set between the brother and sister as Ikuto shook her head with a happy smile at her children's antics.

"Alright, Shingo, did you finish your homework?" Their mother asked as she turned off the stove. "Yeah, it wasn't hard. I bet stupid Usagi hasn't finished hers yet." He laughed at his sister's struggles. "Actually, I got that done during my tutoring session with Mamoru. He even looked it over for me." Ikuto and Shingo both froze as they looked at Usagi, not expecting that.

"Well, that's good. What else did this Mamoru boy work on with you?" Ikuto began to fix their dad's plate as first as he'd be home any minute now. "We first went over my last math test. He explained how to do the first problem step by step, but rather than just giving me the answer he guided me to it. He also showed me how to check my work. After that he had me re-answer all the questions I had failed." Usagi explained as her brother and mother smiled.

"We cut today's session short so that I could go visit Naru and Mrs. Osaka in the hospital before visiting hours ended." That put a frown on their faces. "That was kind of him, I heard about what happened. How are they holding up?"

"Naru's handling everything far better than I imagined. I can't really say how her mother is holding up as she was asleep while I was there. It looks like the youma had only tried to choke Naru before someone got its attention. Her mother was hurt pretty badly, but I don't know the extent of her injuries. She was heavily bandaged up though."

The trio finished fixing everyone's plates and drinks and had just finished placing the last glass on the table when they heard the door open. "I'm home!" Kenji, Usagi's father called out in a tired and worn-out voice. "Dinner's ready, dear!" Ikuto called out and he shuffled into the room as they started pulling out their chairs. Dinner was a quiet, but social affair as they all talked about their days and enjoyed Ikuto's delicious cooking.

After dinner was eaten. Usagi and Shingo worked together to wash, dry, and put away the dishes, Usagi excused herself to go up to her room. She locked her door and immediately opened her balcony for Luna to come in. She wasn't that surprised to see Luna had been waiting for her. "Sorry I took so long. I wanted to visit with Naru after I finished my tutoring session with Mamoru. I also figured it'd be a good idea to see what all she remembered from last night." She explained herself quickly, not wanting to upset the feline. "That was some good thinking! Did she know anything about where the youma came from?" Luna was serious and on the hunt for information.

"Not really. All she knows was that it was impersonating her mother and attacked her when she started asking it why she wasn't coming upstairs for dinner. Her mom was found downstairs in bad shape. She was heavily bandaged and was asleep when I saw her at the hospital. Thankfully Naru just has a bruised neck. The doctor is going to be keeping Naru for the next few nights but they plan to let her stay there with her mom" Usagi explained as fiddled with the sleeve over her bandage. "That's good. I'm glad we managed to stop that youma from killing anyone this time." Luna jumped onto Usagi's bed and sat down.

"How's your arm?" The blonde blinked at the question. "The bandage is getting itchy... I should probably change it and put some ointment on it. It'll give us a good chance to see how it looks." She rolled her leave up to her shoulder and began to unwind the bandage. "What should we call that Tuxedo guy until he gives us a name to call him? Tux Boy?" Luna shook her head. "How about Tuxedo Mask for now. Eventually, we'll have something better to call him." Usagi nodded at that as the last of the bandage fell to her desk. She moved over to her mirror to give herself a better look at the wound while Luna jumped onto her desk for a better look. "It looks a little smaller and not as angry as last night. Why don't you let it air out a little before you reapply the ointment and bandage?""Sounds good to me, Luna."

Usagi moved to stand on her balcony in the moonlight to enjoy the cool night air. "So what's on the agenda? How do we find the other Sailor Guardians, the Moon Princess, and her legendary crystal?" She stared up at the moon in the sky as Luna padded over to sit next to her feet. "Are we just supposed to sit around and wait for Youma attacks to happen or do we need to investigate any potential places that seem suspicious?" Luna sighed at the questions. "I'll be able to sense the sleeping energies within the other Sailor Guardians, though you might find yourself drawn to them with a sense of familiarity and not even know it. The Princess and her crystal should make themselves known once we have the other four Sailor Guardians of the Inner Circle. I was told that once you five are together the princess will appear. It isn't much to go on but regarding her, that's all I know."

"You and I will have to keep our ears open to rumors of strange things. Anything out of nowhere that appears to be gathering a large group of people. Especially if a large group of people suddenly start acting differently. We have to be smart about this. I don't want to put you at risk if I can help it, Usagi." Luna didn't startle as Usagi knelt down to pet her. That's when Luna noticed something that took her completely by surprise. "Usagi! Your injury... It's shrinking!" Luna was awestruck. "What are you..." Usagi cut herself off with a startled gasp as she watched the wound on her arm get smaller and smaller in the moonlight. The stitches her masked hero had given to her pushed themselves out of her skin and landed on the floor harmlessly.

"Well," Luna began after a few moments of silence. "Now we know you can heal quickly when in direct moonlight... That is very useful information for us to know." "How... This... This has never happened before..." Usagi was shell shocked. "We... We'll have to be careful to keep this hidden. No one should know I can heal like this... if a doctor found out, or worse, the military. I'd be strapped to a table and dissected like a frog." Usagi was terrified and Luna fully understood her fears. "That's the same reason why I try not to speak around normal humans. It would not be a good fate and would end up dooming the world if I couldn't finish awakening the rest of your team. The great evil behind the youma. It would suck the life energy out of the very planet itself, not just the people and animals. Only the dead will be left in its wake..." Luna whispered softly as Usagi bent down to pick her up and cuddle her as gently as she could.

"Luna... Do you have nightmares of that night? The night the moon fell, I mean?" Usagi whispered quietly as she brought the cat back inside. "Some flashes of memories here and there. I don't fully remember everything. I believe the queen may have put a temporary block on my memories that will likely be undone when we have found the princess." Usagi frowned at Luna's words. "Luna, you speak of the princess as though she can do anything with or without her crystal... If you don't remember her all that much, isn't it wrong to just blindly put her on so high a pedestal of expectations that she realistically may never be able to shoulder?" The blonde thought aloud as she pulled out her sketchbook from a desk drawer.

"I... I never thought about it that way. You might be right. It isn't fair to the princess to just assume things about her when I can't fully remember her." Luna mused before she noticed the sketchbook in Usagi's hands. "What's that?" The blonde stared at the book with a frown, before she exhales slowly. "This is a sketchbook. One where I draw things I've seen in my dreams and nightmares. There's a handful, in particular, I want to show you. That I've dreamed of in the last week. They all are very similar to one another and I feel they are connected. I just want to see what you think. If that's alright?" Luna was shocked that Usagi was willing to show her something that she clearly considered to be personal.

The first picture had Luna reeling. It was a picture of the Earth, from a white flower garden on the moon. "I...This..." Luna wasn't sure what to say. Usagi silently turned the page. It was a ballroom full of masked people dancing, and it was from the perspective of someone dancing with a tall man with dazzling blue eyes and black hair. Over his shoulder, Luna could even make out what looked like a slightly blurred thrown with a silver-haired woman in a silver dress sat watching over all the dancers. In some of the windows, she could see the planet Earth hanging in the sky like a beautiful marble. Luna choked on air at the sight of it. The next picture wasn't as nice. It was a battle scene, showing a glimpse of a girl in an orange fuku, wounded and fighting off unending numbers of monstrous-looking enemies. Usagi turned the page again. It was of an ivory castle slowly being engulfed in flames. The final picture was of a bloodstained sword lying on the cracks and broken ground in a puddle of blood.

"U...Usagi... I think I am going to need to rest for a bit... But please keep showing me anymore you draw, and feel free to tell me about these dreams if you can... All of this is very important. For now, I don't want you to show them to the other guardians when we find them. It might force one of their memories from that life to return before they are ready and able to handle them." Usagi nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek as she tucked the sketchbook away once more before she picked Luna up and set her on one of her pillows. "You can sleep here for now Luna. I'm going to try to get some studying in before I lay down." Luna nodded at her charge as she curled into a ball on the pillow and closed her eyes with a pained expression. Usagi moved back to her desk and pulled out the notes Mamoru had given her to go over. She fished out a CD player and her headset from her desk and got comfortable. Once she had her headset sitting comfortably on her ears and music playing, she picked up the papers and silently mouthed the words she was reading in place of the lyrics. Soon she found herself smiling at how ridiculous it sounded, but it was fun. So maybe it'd work better for her than she thought.

**Author's Note:** I'll try to post as much as I can. Chapter lengths will vary as will upload times. They won't always be as long as the first chapter. I do not have a beta reader but will run everything through the free version of Grammarly to check for typos as well as assist me in rewording things to make it all flow better. I appreciate positive criticism as well as just hearing about what you liked or didn't like.

I'd like to take this time to thank Sailor Silver Ladybug for both inspiring me and encouraging me to try my own hand at writing this fanfic. She is amazing and if you haven't read any of her stories I suggest you check them out!

**TropicalRemix:** Thank you so much for being my very first review. As far as Usagi and Mamoru's interactions, I felt that by changing the circumstances of how they met, and by volunteering to be her tutor he wouldn't have a reason to pick fights to get closer to her, and maybe allow for their relationship to build up more smoothly by starting out as friends rather than strangers who pick fights with each other. That's not to say that they won't have occasional arguments.


	3. Chapter 3

A week passed since Usagi had shown Luna some of the pictures she'd drawn from her dreams and nightmares. The blonde had been sad that she'd inadvertently caused Luna pain when she'd shared those pictures, but she was glad to know that they had something to do with their past lives on the moon. School went by uneventful, aside from her grades in math and English were showing massive improvement. Having Mamoru help her study was truly paying off, she just wished the boy would accept some form of payment for his time and effort.

It was lunchtime and she was one her way to find a nice warm place to each her lunch when she heard some of her fellow students gossiping. "Hey did you hear about that new cram school? Can you believe Ami Mizuno is actually their poster girl?" "Yeah sure she' super smart, but she's such a snob. She acts like none of us are worth her time." Usagi frowned at the words, but her eyes widened when she noticed a thin girl with short blue hair and glasses running away from the loudly gossiping girls. It dawned on her that the blunette had to have been the Ami Mizuno they'd been speaking of. Usagi didn't miss the look of sadness on Ami's face. She pushed passed the two girls quickly, not caring if she was being rude to follow after the blue-haired genius girl Gurio had been ranting about throughout the week.

Usagi managed to find Ami sitting alone on a bench with her face in a book. "Um... Excuse me?" The blonde called out as she stood in front of Ami. "Y-yes?" Ami lowered her book slightly. "Is it okay if I sit here?" Usagi smiled softly at her. "I-I don't mind if you sit here, but shouldn't you be sitting with your friends?" The blonde sat down next to her and flashed Ami a grin. "Not today. Naru's still in the hospital, and you seemed lonely... Are you okay?" The blonde decided to be completely honest with her. "Yes. I'm alright. Thank you for asking." Ami was a bit startled, no one ever said that to her before. She closed the book she'd been reading. "I'm Usagi Tsukino. You're Ami Mizuno, right?" Ami eyed Usagi warily. Not sure if she could trust the girl. She'd never met anyone who seemed so nice. She was afraid the blonde could be faking so she could use her, hurt her, in some way. "Yes." "Why aren't you with your friends, Ami?" The girl genius was on edge. "I don't have friends." Usagi sighed at that.

"I was worried that might have been the case. I heard some rumors going around about you being super smart but acting like you were better than everyone else..." Ami lowered her eyes waiting for Usagi to claim the rumors to be true. "But when I look and talk to you, all I see is a lonely girl who is shy, and maybe even a little scared of being hurt. You are called a genius for a reason, but I bet they feel inadequate and intimidated by how smart you are." The bespectacled girl started at the blonde, shocked at how observant she was. "How... How did you peg me so completely?" "Because I do feel that way. I'm jealous of how smart you are. I wish I was that smart." Usagi paused as she took in Ami's saddened expression.

"I'm not going to hold my failings against you. You should be proud of your success. I'm sure you're going to be successful no matter what path you take in life. Not many of us can say the same." "Usagi... I... Thank you." She was at a loss for words. "I can be your friend, the first of many I'm sure. That is if you'll have me?" Ami hesitated only for a moment. There was always the chance the blonde girl could have been lying, but there was also a chance that she was completely serious about being her friend.

"I'd be happy to have you as a friend." Usagi smiled brightly at her. "Awesome!" As much as she wanted to hug the bluenette, she didn't want to come on too strongly on the girl. She seemed a little skittish, though that was probably due to years of being bullied for her good grades and intelligence.

After that day, Ami started joining Usagi at the Crown Parlour to do her homework while Maoru tutored Usagi and assisted her with her homework. He even assisted Ami on the rare occasion she needed it. She ended up assisting Mamoru in explaining things to Usagi in ways she could better understand. The two girls and Mamoru were quickly becoming close friends. Occasionally they played the arcade games, once even winning a strange pair of pens from the Sailor V arcade machine.

One afternoon, Usagi was walking Ami to her cram school, Crystal Seminar, after their session with Mamoru had ended. Neither girl noticed Luna following them at a distance. Ami had been looking a bit more tired and drained than usual. "Ami, are you alright?" The blonde knew she was one to talk. She didn't get much sleep between her tutoring sessions with Mamoru, training under Luna's watchful eye, and her continued dreams and nightmares of life on the Moon. She hadn't been late to school once since the day she first met Luna. "Hm? Oh yeah. I'm fine. I've just been feeling more worn out after I leave the cram school. I'm probably studying too hard." The blunette mused with a tired smile.

"Maybe you should skip today?"Usagi suggested "I can't. They'll contact my mother if I miss a session, or if I'm even a second late." Ami sighed. "I'm thinking of quitting and going back to studying on my own, or just with you and Mamoru. The program itself gives me a migraine." The blunette admitted. "Migraines... Ami, you need to remember to take care of yourself before you burn out." The two girls stopped walking in front of the cram school. Ami readjusted her bag and didn't notice that a CD case fell out of her bag in the process. With the hustle and bustle of all the people on the sidewalk, neither girl heard it fall to the ground. Luna, however, did. The feline darted up to them, picking up the case with her mouth.

"I'll try, Usagi. But I'd better hurry inside before I'm late." Usagi nodded and watched as Ami ran inside the building. She glanced down and potted Luna at her feet. The blonde bent down and picked her up, before taking the CD case from her. "What's this, Luna?" "It fell out of Ami's bag. It might be the program Ami was talking about." Usagi frowned. "Well, they aren't going to let us inside to bring it to her." "Why don't we check it out. It's a bit suspicious that she gets migraines from it and that she's been so exhausted since she started going to Crystal Seminar." Usagi nodded to Luna. "Yeah, let's head to the library and see if we can find a computer we can use since we don't have one at my house." She placed the CD case into her bag and had Luna jump inside the bag as well. "It'll be easier to sneak you in this way." Luna approved of the plan.

Getting to and inside the local library was easy and the computer room was actually empty, thanks mostly to it getting closer and closer to dinner time. She quickly chose a computer in the back of the room where Luna could sit on her lap out of sight of the camera in the room. Once Luna was settled onto her lap, Usagi opened the CD case and inserted the CD into the disk drive. It didn't take long for the program to boot up, but it wasn't anything like Luna and Usagi had been expecting.

A loud screeching sound blasted out of the speakers, sending the blonde and the cat reeling. Luna jumped onto the keyboard and started striking the keys on the keyboard. Suddenly the noise was gone, replaced by a woman's voice. "...Submit to our rule. Give us your energy and gather all the data you can find on the legendary silver crystal!" It repeated over and over in an endless loop until Usagi ejected the CD. "Looks like we have our next lead on another youma. I also have a feeling I may have found another member of the Sailor Guardians." Luna stated as she watched the blonde place the CD back into the case and stuffed it into her bag. "We'd better go save Ami and those other students before something bad happens," Luna said nothing as she jumped into the bag as Usagi held it open for her.

Usagi sprinted back to the Crystal Seminar cram school as fast as she could. Her training with Luna already seemed to be paying off after only a week. Though her lungs were burning at the sudden dash and she hadn't stretched first she didn't dare slow down. Usagi skidded to a stop in front of the Crystal Seminar Cram School not caring that she was damaging the bottom of her shoes. Luna jumped out of the blonde's bag and the two looked over the building looking for a way inside. "It's sealed tight. Grab the pen you and Ami won from the Sailor V arcade game." The blonde blinked and gave the cat an odd look. "It is a tool that will aid you here. Duck into an alley and transform, then I'll explain the disguise pen to you."

Usagi darted into the closest alley before she grabbed her broach. "Moon Prism Power! Make Up!" Once her transformation was complete She looked at what Luna had called the Disguise Pen. "All you have to do is tell it who to transform you into and it will do it. You can't fight while disguised, but it will allow you to sneak into places undetected. You get passed security however you can. I'll see if I can find another way inside." The blonde nodded before she and Luna when their separate ways.

Meanwhile, Ami was sitting at a desk in her assigned classroom studying with a pencil and paper. She was annoyed at herself for misplacing her CD. The room was nearly silent, if not for the unending taping of keys that never seemed to stop but always seemed to be in tune. If she didn't know any better she'd have assumed that her fellow students were all typing in sync with one another. She almost didn't hear the repetitive click of the instructor's red high heels on the tiled floor.

"Miss Mizuno. Why are you not using the program?" Ami stopped scribbling on her paper with the pen she'd won from the Sailor V arcade game with Usagi. "I seem to have misplaced the CD. I'll find it after the session ends today." The woman scowled as she pulled another CD case from the pocket of her red dress suit. "Use this one, for now." Ami sighed. "Can I just use my pencil and paper? I've been getting migraines from spending too much time in front of this screen."

The instructor slammed a fist down onto the desk causing Ami to jump. "I'm not going to waste my time dealing with a trouble maker!" The woman yelled, her voice warping into something monstrous. Ami gasped, falling out of her chair and stumbled backward as the woman's form began to shift. "I'll kill you here and now and be done with you!" Ami shakily pushed herself to her feet and ran to the next desk. She tried to shake the student, but she was shoved away without a glance. They were completely lost in the program as if they were brainwashed. She rolled to her feet just in time to avoid the ax that formed from the instructor turned youma's red-skinned arm.

She screamed in fear as she pushed herself to her feet and ran to the door. She threw it open and ran out into the hall. "Hey, you!" A blonde woman that looked like a teacher's aid called out, but before Ami could respond the red-skinned youma burst through the wall and slammed the blue-haired girl into the wall. "Ami!" The strange blond-haired woman cried out in shock, reminding the dazed blunette of Usagi.

"Hey, Tomato! You must really be rotten to attack such a beautiful and smart girl like that!" She taunted as she seemed to shimmer before she too seemed to transform, but not into a youma. She looked like Sailor V, but with longer, and lighter, blonde hair pulled up in pig-tails. There were some slight differences to her outfit in comparison of Sailor V's, but there was no mistaking this was a superhero. Perhaps the very same one that was rumored to have killed the youma at Osaka Jewelry.

"Who the hell are you?" The insulted youma screeched as it caught Ami's arm and yanked her to her feet in front of it. "I'm the pretty suited sailor guardian of love and justice, Sailor Moon!" Before the heroine could say more Ami was thrown at her, toppling the blonde to the ground. Sailor Moon gripped Ami around the waist and bodily rolled her away, saving them both from being hit by the youma's ax arm. "Find a safe place to hide!" She instructed as she released the girl genius and hopped to her feet.

"Hey Tomato! You missed me! Can't you ketchup?!" Sailor Moon taunted the youma again, trying to piss it off and make it chase her and forget about Ami. Her plan seemed to be working. The youma rushed at her and only avoided the swing of its ax thanks to her klutzy nature. She lost her balance and fell backward. Catching herself with her hands she swung her feet up catching the youma with a literal boot to the face. It reeled back in anger as the Guardian of the Moon flipped back to her feet and sprinted past it to start a game of cat and mouse. She needed to get it away from Ami and any other innocents. Her luck wasn't going to last, she didn't have an opening to use her tiara, nor could she make one for herself. She could only hope Tuxedo Mask, as she and Luna had jokingly called him, would show up to assist her.

Her luck ran out at the end of the hall. The youma's arms stretched out at the same time, and the hero didn't see it with her back to the creature. She dodged to the side to avoid the ax, in part thanks to the sound of it cutting through the air and jumped right into the path of the second hand. It snaked around her body multiple times before it's hand gripped her neck and lifted her off the ground as she let loose a strangled gasp of surprise.

mi had managed to scramble out of sight, darting back into the classroom she had been in before this mess had started. She was amazed at Sailor Moon's bravery, and she wanted to find some way to help the heroine. She continued to watch from the doorway, terrified for Sailor Moon. She could clearly see the girl needed assistance. Ami spotted a fire extinguisher and a plan formed in her mind quickly. The blue-haired girl ran back to her assigned desk and picked up her chair. She hurried back to the fire extinguisher and swung the chair into the glass, breaking it before she dropped the chair and grabbed the fire extinguisher. Then she ran as fast as she could while the creature was taunting Sailor Moon.

Ami stopped a few feet behind it then readied the fire extinguisher. Aiming the hose at the Youma's back Ami squeezed the handle and sprayed the youma in think frothy white foam. The sudden cold blast startling it enough that it tossed the heroine to the side where she hit the wall with a painful thud. It turned around to attack Ami and got blasted in the face with the foam before the canister was thrown into its face. Ami darted inside another empty classroom, closing the door behind her as quickly and silently as she could manage.

Sailor Moon pushed herself back to her feet inhaling quickly to refill her lungs with precious air as roses flew from the hall where she'd first entered the building. The roses struck the enraged youma in the chest and knocked it back, away from the door Ami had darted into. With it's back turned Sailor Moon grabbed her tiara. "Moon Tiara Action!" The youma turned and knocked it into the wall next to the blonde heroine as Tuxedo Mask pulled out a cane from what seemed to be nowhere. He charged at the youma, managing to land a decent strike on hit shoulder before it turned and formed another ax on its other hand and began swinging wildly.

Ami had opened the door and was watching the frenzied battle with trepidation. "Ami... You want to help them, don't you?" A feminine voice sounded next to Ami and she jumped, looking around for the source. "Look down. I'm here." The girl genius looked down and was shocked to see Luna, Usagi's cat standing before her calmly. "Luna?" Ami's eyes widened. "Then that means?!" "Yes, Usagi is Sailor Moon and you can help her and the masked fellow," Luna interjected before Ami could say anything further out loud. "Raise that pen you got from the Sailor V arcade game. Take a deep breath and say the words that come to mind." Ami felt like she was going insane, but against all logic, she did as the feline told her. "Mercury Power! Make Up!"

Ami suddenly found herself surrounded in light and bubbles as her clothing changed into a sailor fuku like Sailor Moons, except her skirt and ribbon were both a light blue, as were her boots. Her nails turned blue before her arms were covered in elbow-length gloves. Like Sailor Moon, she had a golden tiara on her head but the jewel in the center was aquamarine. There was an aquamarine jewel in the center of the ribbon on her chest as well. When the lights and bubbles vanished she looked down at herself startled as she tried to pull the skirt further down her legs. "Relax, Sailor Moon already asked me to look into a better uniform for you and your fellow guardians. For now, make do. Take this," The feline flipped and a blue computer landed on the ground. "Sailor Mercury, this is your Mercury computer. Use it to find the youma's weakness and do what you can to provide support for now. After the battle Sailor Moon and I will better explain ourselves."

The now named Sailor Mercury nodded at Luna before she crossed her arms in front of her channeling her energy to her hands instinctively. Blue balls of water appeared at her fingertips as she began to speak. "Mercury Aqua Mist!" She jerked her arms to their correct sides as she spoke and the water at her hands exploded into a dense misty fog. "What!? Why am I freezing?!" The youma cried out in surprise as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask managed to regroup despite not begin able to see themselves. "You good?" He looked her over, taking note that her injury from the last fight was completely healed without so much as a blemish on her skin. "Yeah. You?" She questioned, keeping her eyes in the direction of the youma. He grunted affirmatively. "What's with the fog?" "I'm sure we'll find out soon."

"Sailor Mercury, condense the mist until it is only around the youma. The cold of it should slow it down enough for Sailor Moon to finish it off." Luna advised the newly discovered sailor guardian, who simply nodded before taking a deep breath. Instinctively she raised a hand to her ear lightly touching her earring and a visor appeared over her eyes. "Oh... This will come in handy..." She thought out loud as she reached a hand out in the youma's direction. With a swirl of her hand, the fog began to recede until the youma almost seemed to be trapped in a bubble.

"Now!" The masked man yelled as he launched a barrage of sharpened roses as Sailor Moon tossed her tiara with a shout. "Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon's attack sliced the youma's left arm off, at the forearm with his roses impaled themselves in the youma's legs. It let loose a wailing shriek as it tried to defend itself all too slowly. The spinning tiara rebounded like a boomerang, clipping the youma's shoulder as it returned to its owner. "Aim for the mark on it's back!" Sailor Mercury yelled as the blonde heroine dashed forward with the masked man at her side. He parried its remaining ax arm with his cane, as Sailor Moon lifted the appendage she'd cut off the youma and spun on her heel. She buried the bladed part of its arm into the mark on its back and a blood-curling scream rang out as it collapsed to the ground. She let go of the arm and nodded once to the masked man, who simply turned smirked before he vanished in a cloud of rose petals. The two girls looked a little green.

Sailor Moon met up with Sailor Mercury and Luna in the now-empty hall after Mercury went back and grabbed her things. "Let's get out of here before the authorities arrive. We can find a secluded place for us to talk." Luna stated as she jumped onto Sailor Moon's shoulder. Sailor Mercury nodded. Sailor Moon met up with Sailor Mercury and Luna in the now-empty hall after Mercury went back and grabbed her things.

"We should change back to normal for now so we can move about freely." Sailor Mercury stated once they outside of the cram school in an ally. "Right." Sailor Moon agreed. There was a flash of light Usagi Tsukino was standing in place of where Sailor Moon had been. "Um... How do I.." Ami wasn't quite sure how to do it. "Just take a breath and imagine yourself back to normal," Usagi told her with a tired smile. There was another flash of light and when it was gone, Ami Mizuno stood where Sailor Mercury had been. "Luna, Its getting late. If I don't get home soon I'll be in trouble and it will through our schedule out of wack." The feline bobbed her head. "You go one ahead. Me and Ami can talk on her way home then I'll head back." The blonde nodded her head. "I'll open the balcony as soon as I can." The blonde promised before she took off at a sprint. Luna hoped onto Ami's shoulder shaking her head at her blonde charge. Then she began the same long-winded story that she had told Usagi on the night they met.

**Author's Note:** Here's another chapter for you all to enjoy. This one is a bit shorter than the others, but I hope you all still enjoy it. Mercury is one of my favorite scouts. Please let me know if I'm making characters too ooc or need to. I'm unsure if I will update again before Christmas, so just in case Merry Christmas, Happy Yule, and have a wonderful holiday!

**TropicalRemix:** Me too, lol. I had to look it up and give myself a refresher to make sure I had it right.


	4. Chapter 4

"Jadite!" Boomed the angry voice of a tall and slender woman with red hair that danced about her waist. Her purple dress swished as she paced in front of her throne furiously. "You have failed me twice now. What do you have to say for your self?" She paused to stand before the pale blonde-haired man that was kneeling before her. He didn't dare raise his storm gray eyes from the ground to meet her glaring crimson eyes nor did he move his fist from his chest. "My apologies, my queen. It seems there has been some interference against the youma I've employed. I will be personally overseeing the next youma to see exactly who it is and see what I can learn of them."

"Good. See that you bring these interlopers before me, should you deem them worthy. If not, end them and be done with it." The woman grinned yer orange eyes bearing down on him cruelly.

A few days after the incident at Crystal Seminar Cram School, Ami and Usagi were pleased to see Naru back in school. She looked worn out and tired, but happy to be back all the same. Usagi introduced the two girls and they were already on the fast track to becoming close friends. Naru had informed them that her cousin had moved in from overseas to help them get the shop up and running again. He was in high school and apparently really tall. But he was funny and always trying to distract them with jokes, even at his own expense. Usagi was especially glad that there was someone there for Naru and her mother to help them keep their spirits up. Rumors were flying about the school on the two strangely dressed heroines and both had a hard time acting normal whenever the topic came up. Naru didn't seem to notice their discomfort as she added to the rumor when talking about how Sailor Moon had appeared and saved her from the youma. School seemed to crawl by but Usagi was ecstatic and Ami was very happy for her. Usagi got the results in from her most recent English and Math tests and she had completely aced them. Ms. Haruna was pleased with her and even Umino was speechless that Usagi managed to score higher than him. Tutoring with Mamoru and Ami was truly working out for the petite blonde.

Once their daily tutoring session with Mamoru ended, he moved to sit at the bar and chat with Motoki, as the two girls waved goodbye. Since they didn't have school the next day and Ami's mother wouldn't be home until around midnight the duo decided to head over to Usagi's home. Ikuko was excited to meet a new friend of Usagi's and was even prouder when Usagi handed over her test scores. After making sure Ami would join them for dinner that night, she rushed the two girls upstairs promising to make a special dinner to celebrate Usagi's scores.

Once they were in Usagi's room the blonde quickly walked over to her balcony and opened the door so that Luna could come in as soon as she was ready to. "Now that we actually have the time to talk about things, do you have any questions for me that you didn't ask Luna? Or that just didn't make much sense?" The blonde questioned as the two girls sat on her bed. "I did have a few. Luna mentioned that you don't seem to have the instincts for battle like I seem to. Is this true?" Usagi sighed at the question. "Yeah. The night I first became Sailor Moon and saved Naru and her mother from that ghoulish looking youma I didn't know what I was doing in the slightest. I got lucky and my bouts of clumsiness worked for me and prevented me from dying. Luna had to tell me to use my tiara to attack." Ami nodded thoughtfully. "I did notice some interesting things we can try to work on that night. The red hair clips in my buns, somehow they picked up on Naru screaming for help. I heard her all the way over here as clear as day. And when I got swarmed by the brainwashed women I screamed and it picked up on the sound and began to amplify the sound. It was like a sound wave attack of sorts." Ami seemed very interested in that. "I'll do some research and see if I can figure out a way to use those clips to your advantage in battle more. Question who was the masked guy?" Usagi shrugged. "No idea. He showed up that first battle and saved my life. He refused to say his name but he stitched up my wounds after the fight before we parted ways. Luna and I have been jokingly calling him Tuxedo Mask. It's just an idea for a name until he finally tells us what we can call him." The two girls shared a laugh.

"Hey, Usagi... Have... Have you had any strange dreams or nightmares since you became Sailor Moon? Or perhaps strange feelings that your doing something that you've done before when you haven't?" Ami asked after a while. Usagi was quiet for a few moments. "Yeah." She sighed softly. "But mine didn't start when I became Sailor Moon. I started having dreams and nightmares a week prior... I don't remember much when I wake up aside from an image here and there. I've drawn some of them, but Luna doesn't want me to share them just yet. She's worried they might trigger memories for you and the other sailor guardians before you are ready to remember them. Its what happened to her when I showed her. We both agreed that we are all better off remembering that life on our own, at our own pace." Ami was shocked at the information. The fact that Usagi started getting these dreams and nightmares a full week before he became Sailor Moon had to mean something. It had to be important. "Luna's right, though we can probably talk about them to each other to make sense of it all. I wouldn't mind looking at the pictures you've drawn in the future if you'll let me." The blonde smiled. "I'd love to show you my sketches. Who knows. Maybe I'll make my first manga our story, once this is all over. " "Judging by all the rumors going around it'd be a big success!" Ami agreed.

Usagi, Ami, and Naru climbed onto the bus and made their way to the back end. There were three spots available, so Usagi let Ami and Naru sit in the two seats together and she claimed the last available seat in the very back of the bus. She adjusted her nag on her lap carefully, so she wouldn't jostle Luna, who was once again hiding in the bag. It was their day off from school and Naru had talked them into going to get charms from the Hikawa shrine. It helped that Naru had told them of some rumors about a bus going missing right after stopping at the shrine.

"Funny running into you here," a male voice joked from beside her and Usagi jerked, startled as she turned to realize she'd sat next to Mamoru and hadn't even noticed. She blushed in embarrassment at being not unaware. "Yeah, I suppose it is. Where are you headed today?" She asked, distracted for a moment by the blue of his eyes. She'd never admit it, but she had a crush on him. He was sweet and kind, at least to her. She'd seen him help Motoki chase off the occasional bully from the arcade. He could be strong and protective when he wanted to be.

"Just to get some more supplies for school. You?" His eyes seemed to twinkle in the light. "Naru, Ami, and I are heading over to the Hikawa shrine to look at some charms." He nodded and smiled at her. "How is Naru, after that incident at her family's store?" Usagi frowned slightly. "She's been doing fine. Her cousin moved in to help with the story and to give them some peace of mind. I haven't met him yet, but he seems to really be helping them keep their minds off of everything. She doesn't have a bruise on her neck anymore, but she doesn't let anything touch her neck if she can help it..." He frowned at her words as he glanced ahead at the red-haired girl who was animatedly talking with Ami. "I can understand that. She went through a traumatic experience. Having some sort of reaction like that is to be expected." They sat in silence for a moment before he smirked.

Mamoru reached up and caught a strand of Usagi's blonde hair and gave it a gentle tug. "Question for you. Are you a natural blonde?" She jerked back in surprise, not quite sure how she should react. "I did not mean offense. I was also wondering what made you decide on such a unique hairstyle?" She exhaled slowly. "Yes, my hair is natural. As far as the hairstyle goes it just feels right. My mom always styled it this way and as my hair got longer we started putting more and more of it up." She twirled some of her hair between her fingers as she glanced at her bag. She could feel Luna getting restless. "You've never cut it?" He asked in surprise. "Nope. I haven't felt the need to." He nodded thoughtfully. " Glancing over towards Ami and Naru, she could see the two girls preparing to stand. "Looks like this is my stop. I'll see you around." "Later, buns." He joked, and couldn't help but laugh at the look of surprise. Her eyes narrowed playfully at him, but she said nothing as she followed Ami and Naru off the bus.

Once the bus had left, Usagi let Luna out of her bag, The cat gave her an annoyed glance before she darted off to explore on her own. It had been agreed that Luna would be able to explore the area far easier that Ami and Usagi would. The three girls made their way up the long and exhausting stairs and paused for a few moments to catch their breath. Despite how much the two girls had been training and strengthening their bodies, they were still lacking the stamina to make it up all of the stairs without losing their breath.

Naru quickly spotted the short elderly priest selling some charms to a group of girls and dragged Ami and Usagi over to him to look at the charms. "Oh my! So many pretty young ladies are interested in my charms. Perhaps one of you would be interested in a job as a shrine maiden?" The old priest flirted with them all shamelessly. Usagi left Ami to keep Naru distracted with the old priest and his charms to look around for anything suspicious.

It wasn't until she got to the garden closer to the closed-off section of the shrine where the priest and the other caretakers of the shrine lived that something strange happened. Two large crows charged at her from the trees and started trying to peck at her head. She cried out in alarm as she flailed in an attempt to protect herself. She never heard the shrine maiden running toward her with a serious look on her face. "Demon begone!" A serious feminine voice called out as a paper ward slammed into the blonde's face with enough force to knock her to the ground. Usagi groaned before yanking the paper off her face. She looked at the shrine maiden just in time to see the two crows land on her shoulders.

"I am so sorry! Phobos and Deimos usually only react like that to demons. Are you okay?" The priestess helped Usagi back to her feet. "You're beautiful..." The blonde mumbled in awe before she realized she'd said it out loud and shook her head feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm fine, don't worry. " Usagi assured her. "I'm Rei, a shrine maiden. My grandfather is the priest of Hikawa Shrine." The black-haired beauty explained as she led the blonde back to where the old priest was selling charms.

"Hey look! It's that creepy shrine maiden!" A few women shouted as they ran up to Rei. The shrine maiden suddenly had a sad and lonely look on her face. "My daughter. Please tell me what's happened to her?! She went missing after the got on that bus here!" Rei looked away sadly. "I'm sorry but I cannot help you." "She's lying. She has to know something. Everyone knows she can tell the future!" One of the women continued. "Hey, leave Rei alone. There's no way a beautiful and kind-hearted shrine maiden like Rei would ever have anything to do with people going missing." Usagi jumped to Rei's defense without hesitation as Ami, Naru, and the old priest rushed over. "I'm sorry your daughter is missing, but blaming people who have done nothing wrong will not help anyone find her. Please leave for today. You can come back when you all have calmed down." The old man spoke sharply. The friendly gleam in his eyes was gone, as was his kind smile. The trio of women huffed, but turned and left, muttering about witches as they left. Usagi nodded her head at their backs then turned to notice Rei staring at her in awe and the thankful smile the elderly priest was giving her.

Realizing it was getting late, the priest and shrine maiden made sure the trio of girls knew they would always be welcome at the Hikawa shrine. As the girls waited at the bus stop, they watched a different bus going the opposite way pull up. The woman driving tried to talk them into getting on, but she wasn't overly pushy about it. Usagi and Naru wanted to follow it, but they already noticed Luna doing it, plus they couldn't just abandon Naru. So they made sure Naru made it home before promising to meet up at the shrine to continue investigating the next day.

**Author's Note: ** Hello everyone! I know this chapter is a little on the short side, sorry about that. There are some head colds and stomach bugs going around, so I wish all you good health and well wishes. Aside from hoping everyone's holiday preparations are going well and that each of you has a wonderful time for the holidays, I don't have much to say. I wanted to thank Flame Darkmoon, lashun16, and lilshay8806 for liking this story enough to be the first three people to follow it. Every time I get a review or a new follower it truly makes my day. I've talked myself out of writing so many fanfics over this decade that I'm so thankful to have found the courage to do past my fears and do this. Happy Holidays!


	5. Chapter 5

Rei knelt down in front of the great fire and inhaled sharply to fill her lungs with as much air as they could hold. She exhaled slowly before inhaling again. She raised her arms together as her hands formed the uttarabodhi mudra, the mudra that felt the most natural to her. "What's going on with this strange disappearing bus? Why are people vanishing? What do I need to know?" She asked the spirits her questions clearly and calmly as her eyes closed. For a few moments, she simply focused on her breathing while keeping the questions circling within her mind. Then an image of the bus filled her head. Then an image of a man with short blonde hair in a strange gray uniform choking the life out of a girl. Almost too slowly the girl he was attacking became clearer to her. Until she realized who it was she was seeing. It was Usagi! The kind and strange blonde girl she'd met the day before. Was she being targeted, or did she randomly get caught up in this? She opened her eyes and glanced over to a clock. To her surprise, she'd been sitting there for a few hours.

Rei glanced at the clock and swore. That weird bus was going to be here any minute. The black-haired beauty practically flew as she ran out of the house. She ran past her grandfather and a handful of customers without sparing them so much as a glance. She got to the bottom of the stairs just in time to see the buss passing by and recognized the blonde man driving from the vision she'd received. Without a thought, she took off running after the bus. Suddenly it stopped and the doors opened. The blond driver reached out towards her and everything went black.

Usagi, Ami, and Luna were walking down the road past the shrine. The trio had bee investigation the bus route for clues to where it could be disappearing to, but they weren't having much luck. Suddenly that bus flew past them and Usagi spotted the unconscious form of Rei through one of the windows. "Rei!" The blonde heroine screamed as she took off running towards the bus, Ami and Luna at her heels. She reached into her subspace pocket and pulled out a pen. "Moon Power! Transform me into a stewardess!" She called out as she waved the transformation pen in the air. Suddenly she was wearing a cute blue uniform and her hair was completely up in her buns as she managed to catch up to the bus. "Why a stewardess?" Luna yelled out as the blonde lunged forward. Usagi managed to grab the bumper and pulled herself up into the back of the speeding bus. "Because it is a stewardess's job to ensure the safety of all passengers!" Usagi answered.

"Usagi!" Ami cried out, realizing she and Luna wouldn't be able to catch up. "Its a portal!" Luna gasped as a swirling vortex appeared on the side of a tall building and the bus went straight through it. As the last second The masked man that'd been helping them pulled himself onto the back of the bus next to Usagi with a shout. "Hold on tight and don't let go!" Seconds later the back of the bus and the two heroes were pulled into the vortex and it vanished behind them as Ami and Luna cried out in shock. "Mercury Power! Make up!" The blue-haired girl called out as she transformed into Sailor Mercury. She yanked her Mercury Computer out of her subspace pocket and turned on her visor. It didn't take her long to pick up on the energy trail left by the vortex. She raised her wrist to her lips with a frown and pressed the button on it."Give me a bit of time and I might be able to force that vortex back open." She spoke to Usagi, praying the connection to her communicator would hold. It'd help her pinpoint Usagi and the bus' exact location.

Usagi and her masked hero managed to get the emergency door on the bus to open and both slipped inside cautiously. Noticing the driver was no longer on the bus even though they could hear him speaking with someone else, the duo ducked low, moving from seat to seat to check on the unconscious passengers. To Usagi's fears, Rei was no longer on the bus, many people weren't. They were being unloaded. Her masked hero caught her attention and with a confident nod, he slipped out of an open window. Seeing the driver was coming back inside, she darted into a seat and pretended to be unconscious. She slowed her breathing and her racing heart as much as she could as she felt herself being picked up and placed on the ground outside against other missing people.

"Someone's here!" A male voice hissed angrily. "Find him! Kill him or bring him to me. Our Queen will have her answers." Usagi took the risk to peek and noticed the blond man kneeling down next to Rei, running the side of a finger down the sleeping beauty's cheek. Worry and fear for Rei struck her. She had to get him away from her! However, before the blonde could make her move he swiftly got to his feet and stalked off to aid the youma. This was her chance. Usagi stood and darted behind another bus out of view. "Moon Prism Power! Make Up!" She called out and let herself be engulfed in light.

Sailor Moon darted over to the unconscious people. She checked for a pulse on each one and was relieved that all were alive despite how long some of them had been missing. Just as She moved to check on Rei, her luck took a turn for the worse. "He's not alone! She's near the hostages!" The blonde man roared out in anger as he charged at her, leaving the youma to fight off the masked man. The lunar guardian jumped to her feet and charged at the man charging her. She had no idea what she was going to do, but she'd be damned if anyone innocent got hurt in the crosshairs if she dodged an attack. Her fears proved correct when he skidded to a stop in front of her and with a smirk everything around her vanished. She couldn't see anything, but vast blackness as though she were trapped in some sort of void. She stayed where she was and closed her eyes. Remembering Luna's training to stay calm and focused, the blonde girl focused on what her ears were picking up as she readied herself to move and defend herself. She heard it first, the strange sound of something suddenly flying at her through the air. It was a familiar sound, though she didn't know why. She ducked low and tried to roll, but the energy blast struck her shoulder. A cold feeling covered her shoulder. She couldn't move it, but she could still move her hand and bend her arm at the elbow, for the time being.

She got to her feet again, only to cry out in surprise as a hand grasped her by the throat. Suddenly she could see again, the blonde mad was choking her as he raised her off her feet. She tried to pry his hand off her neck with the hand of her unfrozen arm and squirmed as the tried to kick at him. To her surprise, nothing she did connected. she couldn't land a hit on him to get him to release her.

"Luna, I'll transform, the residual power from that should be enough for you to teleport me to Usagi's location. The feline nodded before she pulled a red transformation pen out. Ami reached out, letting Luna drop it into her hand. "Take this with you. I have a hunch you already know who this pen belongs to." Ami blinked startled. "You mean-" She started to ask. "Yes, hurry and transform, I'm sure Usagi will need your help." The girl genius nodded, as she pulled out her blue transformation pen. "Mercury Power! Make Up!"

Rei groaned as she slowly came too. The first thing that registered was that he was slumped over the ground. The second and third was the sound fighting and the sound of a struggle. Her eyes snapped open as she forced herself upright. She gasped as the blue-haired guardian materialized beside her. Without a word, a red pen was shoved into her hand. "Hold on to this for me. If you feel compelled to do or say something, I'd advise you to listen to your instincts." Without waiting to see Rei's nod, Sailor Mercury turned to spot Sailor Moon and gasped. "Moon!" The blue-haired heroine charged forward, slamming her body against the distracted man. Startled, he released Sailor Moon. The blonde heroine landed on her feet. She was trying to catch her breath as she rubbed at her bruised neck. "Careful. He seems to be an illusionist with ice attacks..." Guardian Mercury nodded at her friend's warning.

The blonde man glared at the two girls in annoyance. "Who the hell are you two brats?" He demanded an answer as he snapped his fingers, Suddenly the two girls found themselves encased in ice, or at least that's what it seemed like. Luckily Mercury still had her visor on. "Moon, the ice around us is an illusion!" "Thanks, Mercury." The two girls were quickly put on the defensive as he sent flying rocks and debris their way with small twitches of his fingers.

Rei watched all of this as calmly as she could. The raven-haired girl had been checking on the other victims and was thankful all were still alive. She glanced down at the red pen in her hand, and suddenly she knew just what she needed to do. "Mars Power! Make Up!" Her voice rang out loud and clear. She found herself engulfed in flames, but they didn't burn her at all. When the flames smothered themselves, she glanced down and frowned. She was in the same outfit as Guardian Moon and Mercury, except her collar and skirt were both red. She also wasn't wearing boots, but red high heels that made her legs look longer than they already were. Deciding to question the outfits later, she glared at the blonde-haired man. "I am Guardian Mars, the Planetary Guardian who fights for love and passion! In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!" She wagged her finger at the annoyed blond man, who was staring at her in shock, almost as if he'd seen a ghost. "Why?! Why do you seem so familiar to me?!" He glanced at the other two girls his eyes widening, Something about Mars and Mercury seemed so familiar but he couldn't wrap his head around it. Why were they familiar to him, when the lunar themed brat wasn't?! "Who the hell are you!? Why do two of you feel so familiar to me?!" He yelled. "No idea yet." Came Sailor Moon's confused answer. He suddenly seemed terrified of them. "I must inform Queen Beryl of this!" He yelled as he teleported away before any of the three girls could ready an attack. The three heroines stared at the spot he'd been standing, a bit surprised that he ran away. Suddenly Moon's head jerked back. "The youma! We'd beer go see if our masked friend needs help." She spun on her heel and ran in the direction she'd last seen it and the masked hero, Mars and Mercury right behind her.

The masked hero was frustrated. While this youma wasn't much different than the last two he and Guardian Moon had fought, it was still difficult to fight. His roses weren't doing much at all to slow it down so he'd resorted to trying to parry the swords that were its arms with his cane. He wielded it as if it were a sword. He wished he had some sort of shield to better balance and protect himself. He had a few cuts here and there from the youma's blades barely grazing him. He'd been lucky so far, but he knew he was slowing down. He could only hope Mercury managed to find a way to them and that she and Moon were finished up with the guy that had been helping the youma.

"Master Jadeite wants your head for our great queen!" the female looking creature yelled as she charged at him again. "Mercury Aqua Mist!" A thick suddenly surrounded him at Mercury's call and he felt grateful as he rolled to the side to avoid the charging youma. "Evil Spirit, Be Gone!" A flaming ofuda flew through the mist, evaporating it at it stuck the youma in the back. It screamed as he blinked taking in the raven-haired guardian. He was shocked to see another girl had appeared to fight the youmas, but he wasn't going to question it. "Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon threw the spinning disk of glowing moonlight at the youma. It spun around and sent the tiara clanging to the ground with a strong swipe of one of its sword arms. "For Master Jadeite I will kill you all!" It screeched as it charged towards the three girls. The girls prepared themselves, looking like they weren't going to move. The masked hero darted forward as Mercury analyzed the youma. "Either we remove the arms like we did with that ax youma or we try to burn it to death. "

The masked hero threw his deadly blood red roses at the creatures unprotected back as Guardian Mars threw more burning ofuda at its chest. Guardian Moon made a mad dash to grab her tiara as Guardian Mercury tried to provide her cover. The youma screamed in pain unable to dodge all of the attacks as Guardian Moon stood with her Tiara in hand. "Moon Tiara Action!" She called out as she flung it like a frisbee at the youma. This time she managed to slice off one arm just as Mars' attacks burnt its other arm to a crisp and kept going. The tiara was hit with one of Mar's flames and the attacks blended together. The masked hero ducked as Moon's now flaming tiara rounded back over his head and hit the screaming youma in the back of the neck. As the tiara ripped and burned into the back of its neck and began to lose momentum, he leaped forward with his can raised high. He swung it like a bat against the tiara, giving it enough oomph to fuller slice through the youma's neck. The youma's body caught fire. The four heroes stood there silently for a moment as the stared down at the smoldering corpse. All four shuddered slightly, and Mars looked a whole lot greener than the others. None of them were handing the horrid stench well.

"You ladies know how to drive?" Mask spoke, gaining the three girls' attention. All three simply shook his head and sighed. "Okay. I'll tie all three together I'll need one of you in the other driver seats to hit the gas lightly so the buses will follow the one I'm in While Mercury and I get that setup, we need to get these people on the bus. We need to get hem home before we're all stuck here." They all agreed. "Luna's holding the vortex open, we just have to go back the way we came," Mercury added. They quickly managed to tie the two buses together and followed the suggested plan. Once they were back in the normal world the masked man parked the bus and vanished into the evening as the three girls promised to meet up the next day to better discuss everything. That night Luna went home with Rei to bring the new guardian up to date.

Jadeite appeared before his fellow generals confused and angry. His head had been throbbing from the moment he recognized Guardian Mars and Mercury. He grasped his head in frustration as he roared in anger. The three men shook their heads as the brunette sighed. He walked over to the short-haired blonde and swatted the man's hands away from his head. He placed his fingertips at the blonde's temple and massaged the eighteen-year old's head gently. "Looks like a migraine... Any idea what triggered it?" The nineteen-year-old questioned softly in hopes of not making it worse. "The people who have been killing our my youma... A masked man in a tuxedo... I don't know what he calls himself. There is this blonde girl that is calling herself Guardian Moon, a girl with short blue hair calling herself Guardian Mercury, and, apparently, a third girl awakened to her powers and goes by Guardian Mars. I wouldn't be surprised if the four of them have already killed the youma I brought with me this time." He groaned as he spoke as the man he considered a brother tried to free him of his throbbing headache.

The other blonde in the room sighed as he leaned back against the oldest of the four men. "Sounds like potential associates of Sailor V. That brat's been a thorn in my side in Europe. I left Danburite in charged for now to keep our operations running so that I could come in for our annual report." The white-haired man spoke, reminding the other three why they were all there to begin with. "Kunzite, we can't let our queen know about how badly these Guardians are affecting Jadeite, can we? I highly doubt reconditioning with the endless sleep will aid any of us in the long run." The brunette spoke up as Jadeite finally waved his hands away. The twenty-five-year-old nodded as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Nephrite's correct. I fear this may have been my last chance, but that I got information on the obstacles in our way she might decide to be lenient... for once." Jadeite sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. His headache had finally faded to a more tolerable level. "Agreed. We will have to be careful. I fear what she would do to any of us should she deem us a liability." "Calm yourself, Zoisite. The four of us will figure something out. Should any of us end up in the Endless Sleep, I fully expect the remaining others to find a way to free us from it." Kunzite assured the man leaning against his chest and he noted that all three nodded in agreement. "Let's get moving, We all have reports to give, and hopefully we will be able to spare Jadeite from our queen's wrath." Jadeite was the last to leave the room, as he thought back to the two familiar girls. "Why do they feel so familiar? And why did seeing those girls make me feel so... guilty?" He was so lost in his thoughts that he never even realized that he didn't tell them of the shrine maiden that had turned into Guardian Mars.

**Author's Note:** I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays! Happy New Year everyone! May it be blessed with all things positive. I got a little ahead of myself posting so frequently. I couldn't help but be excited to see the visitor count going up and am ecstatic with every review and follow this story gets. Thank you guys and gals so much! I will be trying to post at least once a month to the best of my abilities. Thank you so much for the follow CeeGilbert8987!

Flame Darkmoon: Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoy it. I was a little worried no one would like it at all when I first started posting this story. I'm so excited to see every follow and review I get that I just want to thank everyone for it. ^_^


	6. Chapter 6

The next day after school had ended the girls were finishing up their study session with Mamoru when Rei walked inside the Crown Parlour Arcade. The two girls quickly invited the black-haired beauty over and introduced her to Mamoru and Motoki. Mamoru grinned as he cut the session short, claiming he knew Usagi could handle the rest from there and that She could always ask Ami for assistance if she needed it. Rei seemed rather wary of the dark-haired boy but was polite as her new friends said their goodbyes. The three girls quickly left the arcade, deciding to walk to the shrine rather than taking the bus.

"Don't worry so much about Mamoru, he's really nice," Ami told Rei having noticed how tense Rei had been. "He does seem alright I suppose... I just don't trust most men, so you will have to forgive me." Usagi smiled at the shrine maiden. "Don't worry, Rei. If he ever does try anything, which I doubt, and I can't handle it I promise I will call for help." Rei sighed and nodded as she conceded at the blonde's words. "I've known him for a few weeks now and he's been nothing but kind, polite, and helpful since the day we met. He even helps Motoki throw people out the arcade when someone is being really rude or harassing the other patrons." Rei shook her head and grinned. "Alright already. I get it, he's a nice guy. You keep going on about him and I might think you have a crush."

Usagi blushed at Rei's words and shook her head. "Yeah he's good looking, but I'm not looking for that kind of relationship right now. Not while anyone that is close to us can potentially be used against us." "Usagi is quite right. Until the Negaverse is taken care of none of you will have much of a normal life, but you will still need to keep up with your appearances like school and study sessions. It wouldn't be good if you girls defeat the Negaverse and realize that you neglected other aspects of your life that would end up making your lives harder." Luna piped up as she jumped out of some nearby bushes and onto Usagi's shoulder. The girl nearly fell as the sudden action made her lose her balance. "Gah! Luna, give a girl a little more warning before you do that!" She'd barely managed to keep herself upright. "Then how would I keep you on your toes?" The feline laughed.

"Wait, so you had a vision of Usagi being strangled while meditating in front of the fire and you recognized that man from your vision?" Ami questioned as Usagi stared at her in awe. They had made it to the shrine uneventfully and quickly settled themselves in the privacy of Rei's room. "Yeah. Usagi is so kindhearted that I couldn't stand the thought of anyone harming her. So when I saw him driving the bus I had to chase after it. Next thing I know he stopped and opened the door for me and everything went black." Usagi smiled sadly at the thought of the beautiful shrine maiden putting herself in danger in the hopes of protecting her. "Rei, while I appreciate the thought I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me." The blonde took a sip of the tea Rei's grandfather had brought them. Luna, Ami, and Rei all frowned at her words. It was understandable, but it almost sounded like she didn't think herself worth saving.

"It's probably safe to assume he is the Jadeite that youma had been talking about," Ami said deciding to change the subject. "Wait. Jadeite?!" Luna jumped to her paws as she stared at the three girls in shock. Confused the trio stared back at her. "Yeah. Short fluffy looking blond hair and light blue eyes." Rei answered as Usagi looked away. She'd recognized the man from one of the brief flashes of dreams and nightmares but wasn't quite sure how to explain it. "Jadeite, he was once one of the Four Heavenly Kings. The Prince of Earth's former friends and bodyguards... I don't remember why, or if I ever even knew their reasons... They betrayed us and their prince. They had a major part in the fall of the Silver Alliance." She girls sat quietly as Luna's words sunk in. Usagi continued to sip on the tea, her hands shaking slightly. "If he has been reborn too, we must assume the other three have as well and all must be serving under the False Queen of the Negaverse." "He recognized us... well Rei and I... He wasn't quite sure who we are, or rather were, but he seemed terrified of us." Ami said as she and Rei exchanged glances. Usagi's reaction not escaping anyone's notice.

"Usagi, you okay?" Rei outright asked the girl, not wanting to beat around the bush. The blonde looked over at her and sighed before looking at Luna who sighed. "Go ahead but be careful of going into too much detail. While your dreams haven't really triggered any of your full memories aside from bits and pieces of words and images, there is a chance of triggering something they aren't ready to remember." Usagi nodded, her shoulder's slumped as she grabbed her school bag and opened it. She pulled out a sketchbook and flipped to a specific page before handing it over for her fellow Guardians to look over. "Every night since a week before Luna awakened me, I started having nightmares and strange dreams alike of a different life on the Moon looking down on the Earth. Before I met Luna I thought nothing of it..." Rei and Ami looked at each page as they listened to her speak.

"Most nights I only get a few hours of sleep before the dreams and nightmares come. Then I usually can't sleep so I go patrolling or get some early training in. I haven't gotten a full night's sleep in weeks." The girl murmured and it dawned on her to companions just how utterly exhausted the blonde was and that she'd been trying to keep it all to herself. They even saw images of themselves, looking slightly older wearing various clothing from elaborate and fancy dresses to the outfits they wore when they transformed. There were never any images of Usagi herself, but to their surprise, there was even a man who somewhat looked like Mamoru even though they couldn't make out most of his face. The saw images of burning ivory buildings, full ballrooms, Numerous other women whose faces were blurred in the Sailor Guardian uniform, each a different color, but never one that ever looked like the Lunar Guardian. The last picture was of four men, in white uniforms with hues of varying color, one of which was Jadeite. They knew it was him even without his face having been filled in. They looked happy, friendly even, as though they'd been making jokes as they walked.

"Usagi, why don't you try to take a nap. I'll fill them in on anything else as needed." The blonde blinked tiredly before shifting to lay on the floor without protest. Rei stood and grabbed the spare blanket from the foot of her bed and draped it over the girl before grabbing a pillow and slipping it under her head. Within seconds, Usagi was snoring. Rei shook her head frowning at how tired the sweet girl was as she sat back down next to Ami. The wide-awake guardians grimaced as they flipped back through the painstakingly hand-drawn pictures. "I can't believe she drew these. She so talented." Rei murmured quietly and Ami and Luna nodded in agreement. "So girls. There isn't really much else to explain. I've told you all about the outer warriors. What I never told Usagi though, is that there never was a Guardian of the Moon. There had never been a need for one. I have a theory of who she was, but we will not discuss it. I will not tell anyone until I know for sure." The girls nodded to show they understood.

"Good. Now do any of these trigger anything? Are you getting headaches or feeling panicked?" "A slight headache, but nothing I can't handle. My head is filling in some details she missed here and there on certain pictures like I was there in some compassion and saw these images with my own eyes." Ami spoke softly and Rei nodded. "Same here. I'm sure if I even attempted to meditate with any of this in mind I'll end up getting a clearer picture. Perhaps even a vision of the memory behind it." Luna shook her head. "I'd ask you to avoid doing so, but I know you can't make that promise, Rei. Please try to keep your fire readings to upcoming threats, and if you do learn more about all our past lives talk to me about them first before you say anything to the others. No offense, Ami. It's just safer if we all remember that life at our own pace. Forcing the memories to return before you are mentally ready is dangerous. You could potentially break someone's mind if you try to force it." Rei and Ami gasped at the thought and nodded in understanding.

A week had passed since Usagi had shared her sketched from her dreams and nightmares with her fellow Guardians. They rotated the patrol shifts, more than Usagi had expected. Ami, Rei, and even Luna were now taking longer shifts while her shifts had been severely cut back. They all wanted her to try to rest more. She knew they were worried about her, but until these nightly dreams and nightmares ended, she doubted it'd happen. She never told them about the sounds of battle that echoed through her nightmares. The screams of pain and fear that randomly cut out. The feeling of being so terrified for her loved ones that it felt like her heart was going to burst from her chest. The random images of tentacle-like appendages that she hadn't quite figured out how they fit into these memories of a life she didn't remember.

Today Naru, Kuri, and Yumiko were walking with her and Ami to hang out at the Crown Parlour even though she didn't have a tutoring session planned with Mamoru that day. He was still likely to show up there to visit with Motoki and grab a cup of coffee for an extra boost of energy. Naru and her classmates were fed up with not getting more details about the two high school boys from Usagi or Ami, so they decided they'd go with the two girls to hang out and have some fun at the arcade. Ami managed to slip away long enough to contact Rei and let her know they were going to be late to the shrine thanks to their classmates. Thankfully Luna was with her and the two were far more understanding than they could have been.

When they arrived at the arcade, the group of girls was quick to find a table. Usagi and Ami found themselves feeling a little out of place as the other three girls gushed about how cute and handsome Motoki was. The blonde high school boy had become like an older brother to the two girls and they just weren't quite sure how to feel about the situation. Shortly after the girls settled into their booth and Motoki had gotten their orders Mamoru walked in with a freshly bought newspaper. Quickly Spotting Usagi and Ami with the other three girls looking in his direction, he winked playfully before making his way over to the bar where Motoki was busy making their milkshakes and fries. Usagi and Ami smiled as the other three girls gushed about how handsome the two men were. "Hey 'Toki, looks like you might have some admirers!"

"Ah, well don't let Reika know. She might get the wrong idea." The blonde man grinned as he joked back. They both knew his girlfriend would find it adorable, so long as none of the younger girls tried to make a move towards him. She wasn't really the jealous type. Still, the jokes served their purpose. Naru and Kuri pouted sadly at the news of the hot blonde boy having a girlfriend, while Yumiko was still drooling and gushing over Mamoru. "So Usagi, why don't you tell us more about Mamoru? You've hardly told us anything about this handsome tutor of yours." Yumiko questioned, never taking her eyes ff of Mamoru. Ami and Usagi glanced at each other comfortably.

"Well... we spend most of our time just focusing on studying and understanding our classwork. He's really smart. He plans to go to college to become a doctor." "Oh, so he can be very focused and is highly intelligent. Those are very nice traits. What else?" Yep, Yumiko was drooling. "Motoki is his best friend." "Alright that's good to know, but can you tell me anything more... personal about him.?" That was when sweet little Usagi had enough. "Stop it, Yumiko. Even if I did know personal things about him, which I don't. I wouldn't just share it with you without his expressed permission and at that point, he'd just tell you himself." "Usagi's right you're kind of coming across as creepy and obsessed. Besides, have you noticed how he keeps glancing over at Usagi? If he's interested in any of us, it'd more likely to be her." Naru spoke up, causing Yumiko to straighten her back. For a moment she looked angry but as she thought about it she realized Usagi and Naru were right. She sighed and laid her head on her arms onto the table. "You're right. I need to chill. I do tend to go a little overboard when it comes to boys I find attractive." Ami shook her head. "Try to remember that there is more to life than boys, Yumiko."

Mamoru and Motoki approached their table with two trays to carry their drinks and fries. Usagi and Mamoru both did what they could to help Motoki when they were in the arcade if they could help it, so it didn't surprise Usagi and Ami, though it did catch the other three girls off guard. "Thanks, Motoki, Mamoru!" The blonde and blue-haired girls spoke in unison as the other three stumbled over their words. Both boys flashed the group of girls wide smiles before returning to the bar. Motoki fixed Mamoru his usual cup of coffee and the two settled in to read and discuss the newspaper while Motoki waited for more customers to show up.

"Oh, have you heard about that foreign Princess D from the D kingdom is coming to Japan with the so-called 'World's Greatest Gem: the D Kingdom's Royal Treasure'? Naru piped up after a few moments of the girls enjoying their fries and shakes. At the mention of a princess and a great gem Usagi and Ami glanced at each other. "Oh yeah! Isn't she throwing some big masquerade ball before she reveals it to the world for the first time in history?" Usagi blinked. Being late to meet with Rei and Luna this time was proving to be a well of information for the two hidden guardians. "Sound's like I know what my dad will be reporting this week. He probably already has a pas to get in... I wonder if he'll take my mom with him?" Usagi thought aloud and Naru and the other girls gushed about how romantic that would be if they got asked to go to the ball.

Usagi and Ami looked worn out by the time they got settled at Rei's bedroom at Hiwaka Shrine. Grandpa Hino, as the priest begged the girls to call him, took one look at them and decided to bring them an energizing Gyokuro Green Tea to drink as the three girls talked. He didn't pay Luna any mind at all, as if she were meant to be in the room from the start. "Princess D... Do you think - " Usagi began from her seat on the floor before Luna cut in. "I highly doubt she's the princess we are looking for, I don't know about that gem though." Luna was quick to dismiss the foreign royalty as she sat on the short table in Rei's room cleaning her paws. "I wouldn't put it past the Negaverse to try something. They might actually believe that she could be the princess and that the gem is the crystal they are looking for." Ami added her two cents. The blue-haired genius was leaning against Rei's bed. Rei was standing with her back pressed into her bedroom wall facing her comrades silently listening with a frown on her face.

"So we are going to need to find a way for all of us to be there. Too many people could be hurt or killed, plus we need to get a look at this gem." Usagi mused and Rei sighed. "Give me a second." The raven-haired beauty walked over to her desk and pulled a portable phone from one of the drawers before dialing a number before putting it to her ear. Usagi and Ami exchanged surprised glances. Portable phones were expensive only people with a high income had them, so they were confused at how Rei had one.

"Hi. Yes, I'm his daughter, Rei Hino. Can I talk to him?" Rei paused as the person on the other end answered. "Mhmm. Yes, I can wait. Thank you." She sounded so polite despite the annoyed look on her face. Ami stopped Luna from speaking up, as they all waited silently, not wanting to cause the shrine maiden any issue. "Good evening, Father. Yes, I have a favor to ask. I need three tickets to Princess D's ball." She paused again with a deep frown. 'Very well. I'll go to your next fundraiser and promise to mingle, in exchange for the tickets." She paused again and her eyes widened. "Oh no you don't have to-" She sighed. "Very well. I'll call back with my most recent measurements and those of my friends. Yes. Thank you, Father." She hung up the phone and slammed it down looking outright pissed. "Be thankful my father, she spat out the word like it was poison, can get us the tickets to get in and is springing for outfits and masks for us all." Usagi and Ami exchanged worried glances. "Rei are you sure you want to do that Maybe we could find another way?" "No its better that we use the resources we have available to us. My father is a high-end politician, so at least we can put his money to some use for once." It dawned on Ami where she'd heard Rei's last name now and was confused as to why she hadn't picked up on it sooner. "Well done, Rei. That's two obstacles out of the way." Luna was practically beaming at her.

It was the evening of Princess D's Masquerade Ball and the last few hours getting ready were spent in Rei's room; where the grumpy raven-haired girl spent most of the time working on fixing Usagi's impossibly long hair into something elegant. With Ami's assistance, the two girls managed to braid the blonde's ankle-length blond hair and pinned the entirety of it to the back of her head in a large spiral. They lost count of how many bobby pins they'd used and were thankful Usagi had brought a bag full of them just in case for that very reason. They made sure not to make the hairstyle too tight so the blonde wouldn't end up with a headache or scalp pain from the hairstyle. They went light on makeup choosing to only add a little pink to her eyelids and a touch of blush. He had some pink lip gloss to make her lips shine. The blonde was wearing a white flowing A-line styled dress that reverse faded to a light pink at the very bottom. The dress ended just above her ankles, allowing her lovely pastel pink high heels to be seen. The dress had pink mesh sleeves that ended just below her shoulders. The neckline was a sweetheart cut adorned with rose quartz rhinestones. She pinned her brooch to the center of the neckline, and to complete her look she has a pastel pink hand purse to carry.

Ami had some hairpins adorned with tiny chips of blue sapphire keeping her bangs out of her face that went well with the faint blue that colored her eyelids. She chose to not wear any blush but accepted a clear lip gloss to make her lips shine. She was wearing a pastel blue sheath style dress with a portrait neckline adorned lightly with tiny blue flowers that suited her frame just right. There was a satin blue sash around her waist and the bottom of the dress hung around her ankles to reveal her pastel blue high heels. Like Usagi, she had a pastel blue handbag with her transformation pen hidden within it.

Rei was wearing no makeup at all, unless you counted her light red lip gloss. She left her long hair down, feeling it suited her dress better that way. She was wearing a bright red trumpet style dress with a keyhole neckline that stopped just above her ankles, just like the other girls' dresses. Crimson heels peeked from below the dress to complete the look. She had a crimson satin sash tied around her waist and a matching shawl of the same color over her shoulders. She too had a crimson handbag to match her dress with her transformation pen hidden inside.

Rei's father had even had a limo arranged to take the girls over. So it took them no time at all to get to the ball. Rei was clearly in a grumpy mood, spending a good majority of the day ranting about how long Usagi's hair was and questioned the girl on why she never cut it shorter. Unfortunately, Luna wasn't allowed inside once they got to the location where the ball was being held, so they slip up at the entrance so the feline could find her own way inside to look around while the girls blended in as best they could with the other party-goers. Each girl had a white satin domino mask on their face.

Because they were underage Rei warned her friends to stay away from the punch bowls, that the punch was usually spiked with something. She told them to ask the nearby servers for water or grape juice to drink for their own safety. "How do you know about all of this?" Usagi asked curiously. She was thankful for the advice. The raven-haired girl lowered her gaze. "Let's just say I learned it the hard way." Ami and Usagi decided not to ask her any more questions about her experiences, realizing that it wasn't something Rei liked to talk about but hoping that one day Rei would tell them when she was ready to. They parted ways as soon as they got inside. It was agreed that Rei moved to the second-floor balconies to investigate what she could while watching over the room from above while Ami chose to hang back around the back of the room. Usagi decided she'd be better off in the center of the dance floor, the most populated area and the most likely place for the Negaverse to try something.

On her way to the dance floor, Usagi was in awe of how familiar the scene before her was. It was almost as though she had stepped into one of her more pleasant dreams as of late. She noticed her parents hanging in the area near where Ami was positioning herself and was glad to see they'd be safe with Ami should something happen. They didn't know she was there. If they had she'd be stuck at her father's side without a chance to do what she needed to or even dance with anyone who may actually ask her. She hoped someone would as her, as it would help her blend into the crowd so much better. Suddenly someone bumped into her from behind, nearly knocking her into a woman with a shoot of wine in her hand. The woman glared harshly as Usagi, making her feel rather small when a familiar voice made itself known. "Excuse me, miss? Would you care to dance?" She looked up at the taller man as he offered her his hand. He reminded her of the prince in her dreams, as well as the masked hero that has shown up to help her since the youma started showing up. His voice, however, reminded her strikingly of Mamoru. "Yes, I would love to." She smiled brightly at him she placed her hand in his and let him lead her further onto the dance floor.

He placed a gentle but firm hand squarely on her waist as he interlocked his other hand with hers. Usagi placed her other hand on his shoulder and he began to lead. Suddenly Usagi remembered she'd never learned to dance, and yet here she was dancing the waltz with this handsome stranger as though she'd been waltzing all her life. It felt so right, she found herself thinking as she looked into his beautiful blue eyes and found herself lost in them. Before she knew it she lost all sense of everyone in the room around her as they stared into each other's eyes.

Rei looked down from the second floor to see Usagi dancing and was a bit startled at the sight. It was familiar. Too familiar. She rubbed her head and looked away at the slight throb of pain. She wasn't too happy to see that Usagi was having fun, but the girl was the most outgoing of the three guardians and at least one of theme needed to be down there and dancing with the people incase that's where the attack happens first. She didn't know that Usagi could dance that gracefully and found it surprising because of how clumsy the girl was probing to normally be. Ami caught her eye on from her position and they both nodded. So far everything was going smoothly. And yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong.

Meanwhile, Luna had managed to find Princess D and what she assumed to be the woman's advisor entering a heavily guarded room. She wasn't able to follow her inside, but she did notice that Rei had seen them and had a serious look on her face. "Rei?" The feline questioned her charge. "The woman that was with Princess D... Something doesn't feel right." Rei spoke in astern voice her grumpiness gone in the face of a potential threat. "Contact the girls and get them over here. Princess D might be in danger." Hitting the blue and pink buttons on her wrist communicator to send the alert, it wasn't long before Usagi abruptly ended her dance and followed Ami up the stairs to meet Rei in as inconspicuously as they could manage.

Just as Ami reached them, Princess D scream from inside the room. "Intruder!" The men guarding the door slammed it open and barged in, with Luna and the three untransformed guardians at their heels. The two men yelled at the woman in the purple business suit to not move, but she jumped backward as a strand male voice escaped her lips. "Damn. I almost had it." A greenish mist covered her body before fading to leave a tall broad-shouldered man with shoulder-length wavy brown hair and brown eyes in her place. "If it comes down to this..." He muttered under his breath as he drew his fist to his chest and a green aura engulfed him. "Come forth, Youma who serve our Great Ruler!" He flung his hand out at the short-haired princess and she gasped in fear before the green aura left him to engulf her. The princess screamed until the sickly green aura vanished within her. "It's mine!" She screeched in a warped voice as she gripped the fancy box containing the D Kingdom's treasure against her chest and ran from the room pushing everyone out of her way. No one seemed able to get a hand on her to stop her.

Suddenly Usagi stepped into view near the balcony that the possessed princess was sprinting towards. "Princess D! Stop you could get hurt!" Cried out moments before the glasses-wearing girl slammed into her and shoved her aside. Usagi stumbled backward and topped right over the balcony railing. She didn't fall for long before a firm hand gripped her wrist tightly. Looking up, she was shocked to see her masked hero had appeared out of nowhere to stop her fall. No one had seen him lurking in the shadows behind her. "Usagi!"Ami cried out in fear as she reached the railing while Rei and Luna chased after the possessed Princess D. The blue-haired girl grasped the railing firmly with one hand as she reached for Usagi's other hand. It took some effort on Usagi's part before they managed to grab each other's arms, and with the masked man's assistance. She was able to pull Usagi back inside. Once he made sure the blonde was safe the masked hero turned and spotted the brunette man walking away with a dark grin on his face and with a growl took off after him. Once out of sight, Ami and Usagi locked eyes and nodded. "Moon Prism Power!" "Mercury Power!" "Make up!" The two girls shouted together with their hands on their respective transformation items.

Princess D ran into the ballroom with Luna chasing her. The possessed princess showed people to the ground without a care as she ran, causing everyone in the room to back out of the way. "Something's wrong with Princess D!" Someone in the crowd shouted. Guardian Mars ran into the room, having taken a quick moment to transform without being seen before entering the room. "Anyone who gets in my way will be sacrificed to or great ruler!" The possessed princess shouted as she raised her hand to the sky the room turned black as people began to fall to the ground weak and quickly losing all of their energy. Not wanting to hurt the princess of D Kingdom Guardian Mars hesitated to make a move as she chewed her lip, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly Guardians Moon and Mercury jumped down, leaving the possessed princess completely surrounded. Something seemed different about the lunar guardian but before the martian guardian could put her finger on it the blonde teenager raised a hand to her tiara and called out loudly. "Moon Twilight Flash!" A bright light that reminded the Guardians and Luna of moonlight itself shot out like a laser beam from the large red tourmaline crystal in the center of her tiara. The beam struck the possessed princess and a warped scream sounded as the princess collapsed to the floor bonelessly as a shadowy figure jumped from her, trying to flee from the purifying beam of light. "Fire Soul!" Guardian Mars called out ad she formed another muda with her fingers before firing a ball of fire from her fingertips at the youma. It screamed as the ball of flames connected and it began to burn until all that was left was ash. Looking around at the people that were slowly coming to, the three women nodded to one another. They fled to another room after Ami picked up Luna of course.

After taking the time to release their transformations Rei, Ami, and Luna opted to go back to the man room to watch the unveiling of the D Kingdom treasure. Luna, of course, was hiding so she wouldn't be seen and thrown out. Usagi, feeling utterly exhausted with the emergence of a new attack that came from her new tiara, decided to lay sit down on the couch in the room. Despite her best efforts, Usagi fell asleep. At that moment the masked hero stalked into the room, getting ready to slip out of the embassy via the balcony in the room when he noticed the girl he'd danced with earlier that night resting on the couch. He walked over to her without thinking about it. Gently he hooked his arms beneath her and situated the deeply sleeping girl so that she was fully laying on the couch. "...dymion..." She mumbled in her sleep as he found himself staring at her lips. He leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her soft lips before leaning back startled at his own actions. "This... this feeling... It's so familiar... like I've felt it before..." He spoke out loud to himself as he backed away from the sleeping blonde. "Hey!" Luna cried out seeing him backing away from Usagi. He turned and winked at the feline before he ran to the balcony and jumped. Luna jumped onto the railings, but couldn't find him. He was gone. She looked back at Usagi worriedly.

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone! I'm actually going to be rejoining the workforce soon and might not get as much written as I'd like. I ask that you all please forgive me if my chapters get shorter or if it takes longer for me to crank them out. I plan on seeing this story to the end I hope you enjoyed reading this and would love to hear from you all: likes, dislikes, what could be improved on, mistakes in spelling, grammar, and punctuation, or even ways to make the sentences flow better. I'd love to get some feedback of any kind really. Lelebelle09 thank you for the follow ^_^


	7. Chapter 7

Usagi was startled, and a little unnerved as she stepped into her classroom to see all of her classmates and even Ms. Haruna holding strangle fuzzy little creatures and doting over them almost obsessively. The weirdest part was that they wouldn't stop smelling them and gushing over how divine they apparently smelled. The little hairballs looked like someone had bred a rabbit with a long-haired dog... A shih tzu maybe. Sure they were kind of cute, but being near them put a strange and uneasy feeling to her stomach. Something just wasn't right. Besides that, why would Ms. Haruna allow them in the classroom, let alone bring one herself? Pets of any kind weren't supposed to be permitted and Ms. Haurna was a big supporter of following the rules. Her worries grew when the bell rang and the class didn't start. Even Naru and Guiro were entranced by the creatures.

"Ms. Haruna? What about roll call or our homework?" She found herself asking, to her own surprise. "Isn't this little chanela is such a cutie! I simply couldn't bear to part with it today." Her teacher cooed and practically baby talked at the creature as she bragged about her pet to the other students, who were doing the exact same. No one was paying attention to anything but their pets. The cooing and baby-like speaking was nauseating. It was almost like they were all entranced by the strange creatures. Unfortunately, Luna didn't come to school with her today, so Usagi had to decide for herself what to do. Pushing out of her desk, the blonde walked over to her teacher. "Ms. Haurna? Where did you get him? He's so cute! I want one too!" She gushed over the creature, pretending to be entranced like everyone else. Her teacher only glared at her and shoved her away with a cry of, "He's mine!"

Frowning deeply, Usagi walked back to her desk and grabbed her bag. Seeing that no one was paying her any mind she shouldered the bag and left the classroom. As she walked down the hall, Usagi peered into other classrooms to see much of the same. Chanelas on every student desk sometimes not the teacher, who would be doing everything they could to get the classes attention and every attempt failed miserably. And if they dared to try to grab the balls of fur to throw outside the entire class would swarm them angrily. The sound of heels now her own running down the hall caught her attention and Usagi looked up to see Ami running toward her. "Usagi!" The blue-haired genius panted out her name, from having run down numerous hall and down a few sets of stairs.

"Let me guess, Chanela in every classroom on just about every desk and everyone is acting entranced and obsessed with them?" The blonde deadpanned to her friend who only frowned and nodded. "Let's split up. I'll call Rei and Luna. We should check pet shops and stores till we figure out where these Chanela came from and plan out how we'll handle it once we have more information." "Right!" Ami agreed but before either girl could move their communicators started beeping. Ami opened hers and Usagi stepped closer. "Usagi's with me. Good timing we were about to call you." Ami spoke quickly. "Most of the girls and even some female teachers at my private school and in the area have suddenly passed out and won't wake up. The only thing they all have in common is that they all have a purple flower broach. According to my classmates, there's a radio station at night that reads the viewer's love letters on-air and the ones that are chosen to be read on-air receive a flower broach in the mail." Rei informed them quickly.

"We have an issue ourselves. A strange creature that looks like a cross between a rabbit and a shih tzu. They're everywhere and everyone is acting creepy and obsessed." Usagi informed her as she and Ami shared a look. "They call them Chanelas and all they mostly do is smell them and practically attack anyone that tries to get near them," Ami added as Usagi sighed. "Any chance you can get out of school so we can investigate both?" Usagi asked though she had a feeling she already knew the answer. "No. My teacher isn't one of the affected. I had to excuse myself to the bathroom to contact you." Usagi nodded at Ami. "Very well. I'll investigate the radio station. Ami will look into the pet shops and find out what she can on our pest problem. Rei, when you can meet up with Ami and do what you can to assist her. We might have to fight these youma separately this time." "Right." Both Ami and Rei agreed. "Try not to act against the youma until we can talk to Luna and figure out a plan. I'd rather we fight each one together if possible." Usagi surprised herself. She sounded like a true leader at that moment and she'd never considered herself to be a leader in any sense of the word. Ami closed her compact with a soft but resounding click and nodded to Usagi. Then the two girls dashed down the hall and out the main entrance of their school. They stepped out of the school gates, wished one another luck then parted ways. It was time to get to work.

It didn't take long for Luna to run into Ami while investigating the Chanela herself. After informing her of what Rei had told them and the plan Usagi came up with, the feline couldn't help but be proud of Usagi for taking charge. After getting directions to the radio station from Ami, Luna quickly made her way there. She luckily arrived just in time to see Usagi stepping outside of the building frowning with a serious look in her eyes. The blond caught quick sight of the cat and it didn't take long for the two to find a more secluded area to talk.

It makes no sense, Luna. Everyone I talked to about the broaches says the address that the broaches were sent to, as well as the letters they sent, were to here. But the station themselves have no recollection of the talk show ever existing. They are baffled by all of the love letters being sent in to be read..." The blonde scratched the back of her head as she mulled over it. Luna could tell the blonde was tired and sighed. "Usagi, since we'll have to look into the later tonight, why don't we head home. You can use your disguise pen on me, make me look like a teacher perhaps, and I can explain to your mother that you caught a stomach bug so you can get some sleep for tonight. She should leave you alone so you can sleep. You'll need you will need as much energy as possible if we are to take care of both of these new youma tonight." The teenager blinked thoughtfully before nodding to her. That sounds like the best plan. But please, while I'm resting let Ami and Rei know and help them with their own research on the Chanela. The more information we have the better we can all prepare." "Of course," Luna had no qualms with the Lunar Guardian's logic.

Guardian Moon sighed as she stepped into the park with Luna on her shoulder to see Guardians Mercury and Mars waiting for them. Guardian Mars looked annoyed and impatient as her foot tapped out her frustrations on the concrete. "What took you," The hot-headed girl practically growled out. They had need waiting for a few hours now, and unlike the blonde, Ami's mother was always working at the hospital and Rei didn't have to worry about her grandfather questioning her. He always seemed to have a sixth sense when she had something important to do as a guardian and never seemed to question her absence, despite not knowing that she and her new friends were the guardian heroes.

"Our apologies, her parents made it difficult to sneak away any sooner," Luna responded before the slightly more energized blonde could. Usagi was lucky that her family cared so much, but it was a hindrance as a guardian. It'd be easier if she could just tell them that she was a guardian, but that put them in even more danger than just being near her. She and Luna agreed that it would be for the best to keep them out of the loop for as long as possible. "I suppose that was unavoidable then." Mars crossed her arms and huffed as she looked away. As much as she wanted to hurry up and get things over with, Luna's excuse for their unofficial leader was reasonable.

"Luna already filled me in on what you all discovered. I want the two of you to try and tackle the youma at the pet shop. At the very least I want you to stall it until I can come help. I'm going to go tackle the one at the radio station." The blonde hero sighed after speaking, not liking the plan but not having a good alternative. "I don't like the idea of splitting up," Guardian Mercury commented, crossing her arms nervously. "Neither do I, but I don't like the thought of leaving a youma to run rampant on the innocent. Worse will happen than women and girls falling into comas. People will die. I've fought them by myself before." Guardian Moon made her point. "Besides, more than likely that masked hero will likely come to her aid, he always seems to find a way to show up and help her when needed," Rei added with an annoyed huff. She, like Luna, didn't fully trust the man. He never stayed long enough to talk to them and refused to answer any of their questions, aside from the very first time he'd helped the lunar guardian tend her wounds. They still didn't even have a name to call him, he only seemed to have eyes for the blue-eyed blonde and only showed up when she was in danger. The raven-haired teen didn't like the thought of men hanging around her kind-hearted friend. She wanted to be there to help the blond and knew the bluenette felt the same. They want to keep her safe had been the catalyst to their awakenings as guardians after all. It didn't matter to the raven-haired beauty that the masked man had been able to tend the blonde's injuries after her first battle.

"Alright girls, head out, keep communicators open. Let's try to keep each other informed as best as possible. Whoever finishes first can back up the others. I'll be with Guardian Moon." Luna reminded the three guardians. "Right." All three responded together. Not having anything else to say, Guardian Mars spun on her heels and dashed off towards the pet shop with a reluctant Guardian Mercury only a few steps behind her. Guardian Moon shared a look with the black cat on her shoulder. "Let's get this over with." She murmured and the feline nodded in approval as the blond hero began to run.

It took no time at all for Guardian Moon to get to the radio station. Ducking into an alley beside the building, she made sure n once was around before she pulled out her disguise pen from her space pocket. "Moon Power! Transform me into a security woman." Her clothes changed to that of a security guard, complete with a had flashlight and baton. Her hair, while still blonde, was now much shorted and pulled into a low ponytail. She tugged the hat a little lower on her face, then looked at Luna. "I can't get you in through the front door so find a window and I'll try to find you to let you in." Luna nodded. "Good luck." The feline murmured before jumping from the blond's shoulder. The blond nodded but remained silent before making her way back to the front of the building. She nodded to the security guard standing there, flashing the badge around her neck. He nodded back and without saying a word walked inside as if she were supposed to be there. Across the street, the masked man stood on a roof watching with curiosity.

It took no time at all for the blond heroine to find a window on the second floor to open for Luna to find and slip inside. Deciding that the feline could catch up to her, she continued on her path to the third floor. The building was mostly empty this late at night. It didn't take her long to find a booth with the on-air light on and she could hear a love letter being read by a seductive feminine voice. Looking inside the booth, she noted the tall brunette in a fashionable green gown that seemed a bit out of place. This had to be the youma. It's back was facing her so for the moment she hadn't been noticed yet. Luna dashed over to her quickly. "Let the girls know I found our youma and am about to engage." She spoke quickly before pushing open the door and letting her disguise fall. "Oi! Don't you think that dress is a little too formal for this kind of job?" She called out knowing she'd had the woman's attention the moment she opened the door. The woman slammed her hands down on radio equipment, cutting off the broadcast."Who the hell are you?! You don't belong here!"

"Guardian Moon. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I haven't found a youma that's actually nice to meet." The lunar guardian answered cheekily. She heard Luna snort in amusement despite herself as the youma morphed into her true form. She was ghoul-like and aside from her hair standing on end and the large cross-like scar on her forehead. With a yell of "Fro!" the youma charged at her, but the blonde managed to sidestep out of the way, allowing the youma to crash into the wall in the hall. Deciding they'd best take the fight to the roof, she darted out of the room and rain for the stairs, the youma hot on her heels and Luna not far behind either of them. Once she reached the roof she moved to the side, spinning to face the youma and barely avoiding a swipe of its sharp claws. She wasn't very powerful or unique, appearing to be just like the very first youma she'd fought. The blond was stuck dodging swipe after a swipe of the youma's claws, not seeing any chances to attempt to stun it with her tiara or even to attack it. She was getting forced to the edge of the roof when her masked hero's voice rang out. "Moon!"

A sharp rose embedded into the youma's back giving the blond the chance to kick it back and give herself some room. She wasted no time grabbing her tiara. "Moon Tiara Action!" She cried out and flung it at the mark on the youma's forehead, hoping it was its weak point. The youma screeched in anger as it knocked the tiara off course. The blond gasped as her tiara returned to her forehead. Behind the youma, the masked her practically growled as he twisted the top of his cane instinctively and pulled a hiddle blade from the cane. He looked surprised for only a moment before he leaped forward, swinging the thin blade in wide arcs at the youma, who had turned to face him. Guardian Moon readied her tiara as Luna watched from the stairs worriedly. The two heroes' eyes meet briefly over the shoulder of the youma and she gasped at his striking blue eyes. Not having the time to think about how familiar those eyes felt, she realized he was keeping its back facing her. With a determined nod, she called out her attack again, this time aiming at the rose sticking out its back. "Moon Tiara Action!" She threw the glowing disk like a frisbee once more and it struck true. Her attack tore into the youma's back while pushing the sharp stem of the rose straight through the youma. It stretched in pain, hesitating just long enough for the masked man to thrust his blade into its chest and through its heart. It made a strangled sound as he pulled the blade free and it crumpled to the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut.

Before she could say anything to him, he turned on his heel and dashed off into the night. She shook her head as Luna jumped onto her shoulder. "Well done. Let's hurry the girls are still engaged at the pet shop." She jumped off the roof and landed on the ground in a crouch, thankful for her abilities otherwise she'd have injured herself. Luna jumped from her shoulder and the blonde chased the feline as she raised her communicator to her lips. "The talk radio youma has been dealt with. Luna and I are on the way!"

At the same time that Guardian Moon began to fight the youma on the roof of the radio station, Guardians Mars and Mercury had finished going over their initial plans to engage the youma running the pet shop. The raven-haired guardian gripped the door handle firmly and looked over to see the blunette give her a sharp nod. She had her visor on. They were ready to start. Giving the door a sharp yank, she opened it and stepped back as the shorter girl raised her arms and called out her attack. "Mercury Aqua Mist!" A thick mist filled the inside of the store and they heard the disguised youma let out a startled cry. The two girls darted inside, Mercury making sure to keep it just dense enough to make it hard to see but not enough that Mar's couldn't see their target. "So far all is going according to plan." Mercury mused as Mars began to taunt the youma, wanting to enrage it and keep it distracted for her companion. "Hey, Beast Sniffer! What's the matter? Can't handle a bit of mist?"

"Iguara will make you brats pay for what you have done to Lord Jadite!" The youma yelled as she shifted into her true form, which to Ami's surprised was a humanoid lizard, with a tail, scales, and a mass of tangled brown hair. "Come my minions," Iguara called out as she charged in the direction of Mar's voice in hopes of mauling the guardian to death with her claws. Mar's thankfully didn't need to be told to keep moving to throw the youma off. Mercury pulled out her mini computer and began to type away, trying to locate a weakness for her companion to target. She gasped after a few moments, due to an alert on her visor.

"Mars! The building is being surrounded! Don't attack anything but Iguara! This could be the youma controlling its victims. She warned. "Gotcha!" After a few more minutes of tense typing while Mars darted around now dodging both the youma's attacks and the smaller scale figures that were targeting her in the fog. "The Radio Station Youma has been dealt with. Luna and I are on the way!" Guardian Moon's voice suddenly came crackling over their communicators, and the two girls were glad it was taken care of so quickly.

"Got it! Hit the base of her tail! It should stun her long enough to get a good hit on her. If we are lucky, just defeating the youma should free the victims!" Mercury truly wished she could be of more help. she didn't really have any directly offensive attacks. just defensive moves and strategic abilities to help turn the tide to their favor. She felt a bit useless in direct battle, compared to her fellow guardians. Mercury was doing her best to distract and occupy the smaller figures to keep them out of Mars' way. It was all she could do now. "Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" Mars chanted before she tried to slap her ofuda onto the youma in an attempt to paralyze it. Unfortunately, it dodged and she wasn't able to back away before Iguara's claws raked against her arm, leaving her with some deep gashes. "Shit! I'm not going to be able to land a hit if I can't keep her still," Mar's called out in frustration as she backed away.

Mercury had a nagging feeling that she was forgetting something. Then she remembered Iguara's appearance and instinct took over. Without saying a word she raised her arms and began to control her mist once more, this time, making it more condensed and more importantly colder. The smaller transformed victims began to move far slower as Iguara cried out in surprise at the sudden change in temperature. To Mars' surprise, even the youma began to slow as the temperature continued to drop. "Iguara is just like a reptile. The cold slows them down. This is the best I can do right now. I don't have any offensive moves like you or Moon." The shorter heroine spoke quickly. Mars hesitated, not sure if her flames would actually help or hinder the youma.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Guardian Moon's voice rang out through the mist, and the moonlite disk that was her attack whizzed between the two guardians. It cut through the mist like a knife through butter on a path for the slowed down and sluggish youma's tail. Iguara let loose a loud screech. "Moon!" The two guardians called out, though Mars sounded a bit exasperated. The moonlite disk that was Guardian Moon's tiara circled round, striking the youma a second time, right between its shoulder blades. "Mars! Roast the lizard." Their unofficial leader called out as she landed between the two girls with Luna balanced on her shoulder. The raven-haired guardian's arms raised her arms instinctively without hesitation. "Fire Soul!" from the tips of her gloved fingers a ball of fire burst to life and shot at the youma as if she'd fired a bullet from a gun, striking Iguara's wound where her tail had once been. In mere seconds the creature was engulfed in flames as it screamed. The stench of smoke and burning flesh filled the air as Mercury's mist faded away completely. The three guardians and Luna watched the youma until the flamed died down and all that remained was its charred corpse. Shuddering at the sight they looked away only to notice what had been the transformed victims all collapsing to the ground and looking human once more.

After checking each victim's conditions, Mercury voiced her concerns. "Their vitals are really low, the emergency crews might not make it here in time." She was worried, and her fellow guardians felt the exact same. "Moon, I have something for you that can help. I was going to wait until the last of the guardians were together to name you the official leader, but you need the Moon Stick to save these people." The feline flipped into the air and suddenly a small wand fell into Guardian Moon's hand. Its handle was a bright pink and there was a large white gold crescent on the top. The blond's eyes widened the moment it landed in her hand before she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She began to move instinctively; raising it to her forehead and the crescent began to glow. Spinning in a circle she waved the wand in the air as moon dust began to fall from it around her. Then she stopped to face the victims and drew a circle in the air. "Moon Healing Escalation!" She called out her move, drawing out the words as she moved. Waves of moon dust covered the area before fading away, and the Guardians were amazed to see the victims starting to stir. Even Guardian Mars' wounds faded away. Guardian Moon stumbled as her arm fell to her side, the wand held tightly in her grasp. She caught herself quickly. "They'll be fine, let's get out of here while we can!" Luna advised quickly as she jumped onto the blonde's shoulder. The three guardians were quick to heed her words. It was time for them to head home. They could meet up and debrief the next day once they'd all gotten some rest.

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this one. I'm really happy with how this one turned out. Please let me know your thoughts. I worry most about dialogue so if anything ever comes out sounding weird to you please let me know so I can fix it. ^_^ **ladyqueebee, ,lylasalwaysme****, and ****trulyaddicted4** thank you all so much for the follows. Every review and follow this story gets truly makes my day. I'm thankful for each and every one of you. You readers are helping me push past many of my fears and self-doubts and I could never be more thankful for it.

**Lulubelle09:** Thank you so much for the review! I try as hard as I can to make everything flow right and not come across as rushed.


	8. Chapter 8

A week after the incidents at the pet shop and the radio station, Usagi was walking to school with Luna padding along beside her. It was early out, the sun was just starting to rise over the horizon and the duo had chosen to leave early. Usagi's nightmares were beginning to wake her up earlier and earlier and it was really starting to worry them. Luna knew that both Ami and Rei were also growing concerned about Usagi's dreams and nightmares. She'd seen the looks they'd give their blonde friend when they thought she wasn't paying attention. Usagi yawned, not seeing the walking signal switch to don't walk and started to walk right into oncoming traffic.

"Hey! Look out!" A pair of strong arms wrapped around Usagi's waist and yanked her back to the sidewalk as a startled gasp escaped the blonde's lips. Luna barely managed to stop herself from crying out in the chaos. Once her feet were back on stable ground, Usagi turned to her rescuer with wide eyes. To her surprise, it was another girl. A girl who was nearly a foot taller than her. Her beautiful wavy brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and there were a few strands that escaped the binding to frame her soft yet sharp face. Her emerald green eyes shined brightly and Usagi found herself feeling drawn to her. She had pink rose earrings and was wearing a white and brown school uniform.

"You okay?" Usagi nodded, not wanting to trust her voice just yet. "That's good, you should be more careful next time." The girl said with a grin as the signal changed and traffic stopped. With a wave, the girl ran across the road as Usagi picked her fallen bag off the ground. The blonde and her cat darted across the street quickly before continuing the walk to Usagi's school, both now lost in thought over the beautiful girl that had just saved Usagi. Both agreed that the tall brunette looked familiar to them, but they couldn't quite place where they could have known her from. What stuck out the most to Usagi about her was the pink rose earrings that made her emerald eyes shine. It felt like those earrings were always meant to be worn by the beautiful brunette.

Usagi was surprised to hear the loud gossiping of her classmates as they continued to spread rumors of a new student. She walked through her school's gate as Luna continued on her way to do her own patrols around the area while her three charges were in their classes. "Usagi!" Naru called out, startling the blonde and preventing her from getting closers to their peers to hear more of what was being spread around this time. The smiling brunette ran up to her with a certain glasses-wearing boy hot on her heels. "Naru!" The two girls hugged each other tightly in a friendly greeting. "Did you hear? We're getting a transfer student!" Guiro began as he pushed his glasses further back onto the bridge of his nose. Of course, he already knew all of the gossip and rumors being spread around. He'd probably helped spread them himself. Usagi didn't know why she bothered to try to eavesdrop on her peers. She should have just gone straight to him to hear it all. "I did, but I didn't hear anything about them. So what's the grapevine got?"

"Rumor has it she's a giant and got kicked out of three schools for fighting. She's part of some street gang, maybe even the yakuza. She's got monstrous strength and is really mean, so we should all try to steer clear of her!" Gurio sounded so very serious. Usagi sighed and shook her head. "I seriously doubt all of that is true. Just like all the rumors being spread around about Ami, it's all exaggerations that can be cleared up by simply talking to and getting to know her." Usagi spoke her mind and smiled when Naru nodded in agreement. "Usagi's right. Besides, do you remember when you first started here? There were some nasty rumors going around about you too and they were all lies. We didn't alienate you, so why would we do it to anyone else?" Guiro blushed at that. Ah... Right... You two are right... I'm sorry." The two girls patted his shoulders gently as the trio made their way to their classroom. "Don't worry about it, Guiro you're still our friend."

Usagi was pleasantly surprised when Ms. Haruna announced a new student at the start of the class. She was even more surprised to see that the new student just so happened to be the tall brunette girl with emerald eyes in the white and brown uniform that had saved her from walking into traffic, not even a couple of hours ago. "My name is Makoto Kino. I like martial arts, baking, and cooking. Please take care of me." She introduced herself with a warm, friendly smile and bowed. Her eyes widened in surprise when she spotted Usagi in the room, smiling just as warmly back at her. "Ms. Kino, you can sit over there in the empty seat near the window." The brunette made her way to the seat pointed out to her by Ms. Haruna. Just two desks behind Usagi's and right next to Guiro's. To Makoto's surprise, Usagi wasn't the only one to smile warmly at her, for Naru and Guiro followed her lead. The three were like shining beacons, Usagi being the brightest, amid a sea of fearful and nervous eyes. She welcomed the sight, taking it in as a sign that just maybe things would start looking up for her.

The very moment they were released for lunch, Usagi, Naru, and Guiro approached Makoto together. "Thanks for the save earlier, Makoto. I'm Usagi. This is Naru and Umino. Would you care to join us outside for lunch?" The blonde was straightforward, warm, and best of all Makoto could see no signs of ill intent from the trio. All three had friendly smiles, though Naru and Guiro seemed confused and curious at her initial wording. "I'm just glad I was there; you seemed pretty tired this morning. I'd be grateful to join you for lunch." The tall brunette, still in her out of place uniform, responded in kind.

Lunchtime found the four sitting out in the courtyard in their usual spot, where Ami joined them. "Well, they told me I can just wear my old uniform for now, because they don't have any uniforms in my size," Makoto answered Guiro's question with a small smile as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "I can see that. Hopefully, they took your measurements so that they can get some made for you." Usagi frowned, not wanting their new friend to be singled out and mistreated by peers, and possibly even teachers, for something so clearly out of her control. Makoto merely smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry about. I got permission from the principal to just wear my old uniform."

"So why did you guys decide to give me a chance? I've already heard some of the rumors being whispered when I'm near." The tall brunette questioned out of curiosity. Guiro blushed at the mention of the rumors. "We heard them ourselves, but as all of us have been the victim of rumors and assumptions in the past, we'd rather get to know people first hand rather than blindly listening to hearsay." "Besides, you already helped Usagi this morning, when you didn't even know her. That's enough for me to know you'll be a great friend." Naru grinned. "Anyone would have done what I had." Makoto blushed. "I'm just glad you look more energized than you did earlier. Not a morning person, eh?" She questioned Usagi who flushed. "I've never really been a morning person. I've had some strange dreams for the last few weeks that make it hard to stay asleep, but I'm alright. I promise." The blonde chose not to acknowledge Ami's worried eyes, as she explained herself without actually lying.

"Hey, Usagi, do you mind if I tag along with you to your tutoring session with Mamoru? My cousin, Satoshi is going to meet me there so I can help him with some errands for his sister's wedding." Naru questioned and a large smile formed on Usagi's lips. "I don't mind at all, I've been meaning to meet your cousin anyway. He's been taking really good care of you and your mom. I'd like to thank him for moving in to help the two of you." "Yeah, having him around makes me and mom feel a lot safer, even if he wouldn't be able to help much if one of those monsters try to target us again." Naru shivered at the memory. Ami chose that moment to slightly change the topic. "Hey Makoto, have you ever been to the Crown Parlour?"

The walk from their school to the arcade the girl went uneventful. They chattered about Naru's cousin's wedding and of wedding dresses specifically. Occasionally they allowed themselves to daydream about how they might look when it was their turn to walk down the isles, Makoto and Naru more than the two hidden guardians. It wasn't that Ami or Usagi didn't like the idea, it was more they didn't know if it'd ever be safe enough for them to stop being heroes or even to entertain the thought of dating. Once they entered the arcade, however, the topic changed drastically. Makoto's eyes were glued to Motoki as she uttered a phrase that caught the other girls by surprise. "He looks like someone I used to know..." "Oh, that's Motoki. He kind of treats us like we're his little sisters. He's really nice and always seems to know what to say." Naru explained with a smile as Usagi and Ami placed a hand on her back, gently leading the taller girl to their usual booth. Mamoru wasn't there yet, so they all took a seat and got comfortable.

"Good Afternoon, ladies! Your usual orders will be out shortly. Who your new friend?" Motoki greeted as he approached their table, winking at Makoto's flushed face as she stared into his eyes. "Motoki, this is Makoto. She just transferred to our school." Ami spoke up with a soft smile as Usagi whispered the menu into the tall girl's ear. "Nice to meet you, Makoto." The blonde teenager grinned. "Oh! Uh... It's nice to meet you too. Usagi tells me you have the best milkshakes. Can I try a strawberry milkshake?" Makoto stuttered clearly still flustered. "Of course, and if you don't like it just let me know and we'll find one you do like." He winked at the tall brunette once more as he finished his statement before he turned on his heel and made his way to the kitchen behind the front counter to prepare the shakes for all the girls. Makoto turned to look at her friends, only to blink at their smirks and the knowing looks in their eyes.

Usagi decided to take pity on her and quickly changed the subject. "So Makoto, As you've probably heard it mentioned. Mamoru is my tutor. Ami and Naru both sit in from time to time to help and work on homework as well as a friend of ours from another school. You are more than welcome to join us." Thankful for the topic Makoto smiled. "I'll probably take you up on that. So tell me more about this Mamoru guy." Usagi blushed much to the amusement of her friends. "He's a high school student that I accidentally bumped into one morning on the way to school a few weeks ago..." The blond began as she filled Makoto in on how she met him and how he became her tutor. She made sure to tell her how he aspired to be a doctor and how good of a tutor he was. Before she could describe his appearance, however, the bell on the door chimed as it opened and Mamoru stepped in with another dark-haired boy who was surprisingly taller than him. "Oh, That's Satoshi. I guess he and Mamoru know each other." Naru spoke excitedly as her friends blinked. "Whoa, I had no idea your cousin would be so tall and sturdy looking," Makoto spoke without hesitation. As the two guys made their way over, the girls took in his spiked dark brown almost black hair and his light blue eyes. The playful smirk on Satoshi's face suited the lean and clearly athletic teenager well.

"Good afternoon, ladies." Mamoru greeted them all with a smile as Satoshi glanced over the group. "You girls' must be Naru's friends. I'm Satoshi, her cousin. It's nice to meet you." The taller boy greeted them and introduced himself with a slight bow. "Usagi grinned up at him. "It's nice to finally meet the cousin who rushed to Naru and her mom's aid. Naru's been bragging about how much she loves having you around the house." The blonde teased her best friend and his grin widened. "Ah, you must be the famous Usagi. I wanted to thank you for being such a good friend to Naru. Sadly, I must steal her away for my sister's wedding plotting." The girls giggled as Naru shook her head. "They' just have to get our measurements for out outfits, you talk like she's an evil mastermind planning to rule the world." "Asami's gone bridezilla mode, and you know it." He joked as Naru stood from the booth and shouldered her bag. "I'll see you girls tomorrow, good luck on the study session!" Grinning at her cousin she leads him out of the Crown Parlour and passed Rei on the sidewalk.

Satoshi and Naru made their way to the bridal shop fairly quickly as they joked and tease one another. He was the older brother she'd always wanted. As he held the door open for her to enter the shop before him, Naru didn't miss the small frown that marred her cousin's handsome face. "Toshi, you okay?" "Huh?" He blinked for a second as he followed her inside. "Oh yeah. I'm fine. Something felt off for a moment." That had her frowning too. She'd learned early on to always trust Satoshi's gut feelings and even some of his more realistic dreams. Once when he was visiting with his mom when they were younger, he'd had a realistic nightmare of her father being in a car accident. He'd woken her up and discussed the nightmare before they had fallen back to sleep. The next morning her father died in an accident on his way to work. It had freaked both of them out.

Satoshi acted normal, and if Naru hadn't known better she'd have missed the slight tension in his voice and how alert he was being, despite his attempts to not appear alert. Nervously, she grabbed one of his arms and hugged the appendage loosely as the lady at the front desk looked up at them. "Good afternoon! Welcome to Crystal's Bridal. I assume you two are here to be fitted for Miss Asami's wedding?" "Yes, I'm her younger brother and this is out cousin Naru," Satoshi spoke calmly, attempting to be polite despite the tension Naru could feel in the muscle of his arm. "Perfect. Come this way and our designers with get you both sorted out."

Makoto stepped out of the Family Mart closest to her apartment with two bags of food and seasonings she needed for the curry bread she was going to make for her dinner and lunch for the next day. The streets were mostly empty as she glanced up to spot the waning moon in the sky and smiled at the side. It was quiet out, so she was already a little unnerved due to the normal dangers of walking alone at night, even though she knew she could protect herself. She was in the process of walking past Crystal's Bridal when she paused, swearing she saw one of the dressed mannequins in the window move from the corner of her eye. She turned and stood there for a few moments, staring at the mannequin noting that its arms were posed differently than they had been moments before.

"Strange..." She muttered under her breath. Turning to continue on to her apartment, she noticed the tall blond teenager that had been playfully flirting with her at the Crown Parlour earlier that day. "Motoki?" She questioned aloud, as she watched him sway with each step. Something was wrong. His eyes were wide open but didn't seem right. Before she could ponder further he suddenly lunged at her. Her grocery bags fell to the ground as her back was slammed against the wall. "Motoki what the hell!?" She glared, fully noticing the way he'd used his body to cage her there. Suddenly over his shoulder, she noticed a vision of white dancing and laughing. It was the mannequin she'd been staring at only a few seconds ago. Gritting her teeth she shoved him away from her. He landed flat on the ground with a thud as the possessed mannequin, or whatever the hell it was clicked its nonexistent tongue at her.

"Hey, you okay?" Makoto blinked at the male voice and turned her head to see Naru's cousin approaching her from the Family Mart with a bag in hand. He was looking between her, Motoki, and the mannequin. She opened her mouth to speak only for the mannequin to float in front of Satoshi, a strange tune emitting from a place she couldn't fathom. He dropped his bag and grasped his ears as Makoto sprinted at the mannequin from behind. Luckily it was so focused on what it was doing to Satoshi that she was easily able to wrap her arms around its midsection firmly before jerking backward to slam it into the ground behind her.

Satoshi stumbled back only for a soft yet firm hand to catch him by the arm. He blinked as he opened his eyes, one hand still gripping his head and glanced over. To his surprise Guardian Mars was there, steadying him. "You good?" Her words were sharp and quick. "Yeah, thanks." He said before he swallowed sharply. "Anytime. Get your bag and get to safety. I and the other Guardians will handle this." Nodding gratefully, he bent and grabbed his groceries and backed away towards the Family Mart. He didn't want to leave just yet, not without knowing that his cousin's friend would be alright. Looking back, he was startled to see the mannequin's now clawed hand and ripped seam-like mouth as it gripped Makoto by her throat a couple of feet in the air. Three Guardians surrounded it, their eyes narrowed and face serious despite their odd choice in outfits.

Guardian Moon nodded to her fellow Guardians before she inhaled deeply. "Cover your ears!" Mercury called out a warning to Makoto, Satoshi and anyone else that might be in earshot as she and Mars firmly placed their hands over their own ears. Then Moon let loose a shrieking wail that seemed to echo and get louder in waves. Mars and Mercury winced as Makoto and Satoshi cried out in pain. The mannequin turned youma, shrieked in absolute agony and dropped Makoto in favor of covering its ears. Moon's mouth snapped shut, ending the painful sound as the masked man that so often aided them darted forward and scooped Motoki from the ground. Guardian Mars mirrored his action with Makoto. He moved quickly, getting him to Satoshi before taking a defensive stand to ensure the creature didn't try to go after them again. Mars, however, helped Makoto over to Mercury.

"Mercury Aqua Mist!" The visor wearing guardian called out, her arms raised as the area suddenly filled with mist thick enough to hide the fight from Satoshi's eyes. To the brunette girl's surprise, there was a black cat behind the blue-haired girl. "A cat?" she murmured confused that a cat would be willingly close to danger. "There's no time for that, Makoto. Take this and follow your instincts." Luna spoke quickly before she flipped in the air. A strange green pen fell towards the tall girl's hand and she caught it instinctively. As much as she wanted to question the strange situation, Makoto found herself calling out the words. "Jupiter Power! Make Up!" And with a sudden flash of lightning, she was dressed like the three guardians near here, except her color was green. "Welcome to the team, Guardian Jupiter. Your sister guardians have need of your strength." Luna greeted her newest charge as Mars and Moon actively distracted the youma in the mist. While they were too close to use their attacks effectively, the girls had taken the time to train themselves to the best of their abilities in physical fighting. Jupiter clicked her tongue at her fellow guardians' sloppy attacks. She'd have to correct it and train them properly later.

A small lightning rod grew out of her tiara. A random crack of thunder sounded as lightning appeared in a cloudless sky striking the rod on her head. "Supreme Thunder!" She called out loud as she spread her arms out, blasting electricity at the youma. It cried out as it was electrocuted, but it wasn't over yet. "Jupiter, hold it. Don't end that attack just yet!" Mercury called as Moon readied her tiara. "Moon Tiara Action!" Moon called out her attack as she directed the moonlit disk through the air. It went through the lightning, practically merging with it as it struck the youma. A scream sounded but it still stood, smoking and angry. Mars and Jupiter charged forward to engage the clawed creature as Moon placed her tiara back on her head. Then, she pulled out her moon stick. Pulling the energy from within,, she filled it into the stick before opening her eyes and doing the necessary motions to unleash her attack. "Moon Healing Escalation!" waves of moonlite dust burst from the moon stick healing the downed Motoki. The youma screamed before fading into a normal mannequin. Similarly to the princess at the masquerade a dark shadow tried to flee its vessel only to be destroyed by the waves of moon dust.

"We have to go. Jupiter, take your normal form to avoid suspicion." Mercury spoke quickly. "We'll follow you to a location of your choice where we can speak without being overheard," Moon added. "Just close your eyes and imagine yourself as you were before the transformation," Mars advised before she, Moon and Mercury each jumped onto nearby roofs and seemed to vanish. With a deep sigh, Jupiter did as she was told, and when she opened her eyes she was just plain Makoto once more. Thankfully she'd done it before Mercury's mist had vanished. As she had expected, the masked man that had protected Satoshi was gone. Satoshi was helping up a confused Motoki and as soon as the blond was on his feet and looking around confused Satoshi spotted her and made his way over. "Hey, you alright?"

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Sorry I was a little late getting this chapter out. I'm also going to apologize for how short this chapter is compared to previous chapters. As I'm sure you can now guess Satoshi is one of the original characters I've added to the story. I hope you all like him. Things have been crazy lately, as I'm sure you all can relate. I've been so stressed that I was having a lot of trouble focusing not he chapter. Thankfully it's that time again Camp Nano. I'm using it to help motivate me into getting a few more chapters ready beforehand as I did during Nanowrimo last November. I'd like to thank **Kestrelmoon14** for the follow and **Kayla Tsukino** for favoriting the story.

**Lulubelle09** I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter and hope you enjoyed this one too.

Be safe, stay indoors, don't hoard, and wear a mask if you have to leave your home. Good luck everyone! Until next time, thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

"Strike. Strike. Dodge. Uppercut. Back up. Keep those arms up and strike as you back away." Makoto called out as she leads the girls in an unsanctioned self-defense class. She knew more than enough of judo and some aikido to be able to teach the girls and get her own workout in. This she figured would be both a good strength workout for her friends as well as a good cardio workout. "Hold position! Now we are going to through some kicks into the mix. I'll demonstrate." Bending her knees slightly, Makoto readied herself. "Punch. Punch. Back kick. You'll want to put as much force as you can into the kick. Make sure your leg is straight and as high as you can get it. Got it?" Seeing three nods she grinned. "Good. Don't forget to drink some water as you need it." The four girls had taken to working out every other morning before school. Rei didn't have much trouble getting permission from her grandfather. Usagi, however, had to prove to her mother that she wasn't overworking herself. She was fine with the girls learning some self-defense, but she was growing concerned over how tired Usagi was starting to look. The blond had managed to make a good point about her tiredness being more caused by her strange dreams rather than her workload. The compromise was that she'd have to stop if her grades started to suffer again.

It's been a week since Makoto was awakened as Guardian Jupiter. During that week, the girls and Luna did their best to get her up to speed on everything. Usagi had even shown her her sketches, as well as shown the other girls some of the newer ones. It seemed that while Usagi never remembered all of the dreams that woke her she always managed to come back with something new from each one. The strangest thing was that each girl had been mostly the same in their past lives. The only issue was that they were still unsure of Usagi's role in their former lives. Luna and Usagi both told them not to worry about it; that they had a working theory not ready to be shared just yet. Unfortunately, it was hard for the three girls to let it go. After a few more minutes Makoto stopped the girls' workout and started leading them through cool-down stretches. "Okay, time head home and shower. Remember to start with hot water and gradually switch it to cold to help your muscles relax and heal. " They gathered up their things and waved before they all went their separate ways.

* * *

Usagi made her way up the stairs of Makoto's apartment building with a full backpack. Not only did she have her homework, but she had some movies and music CD's she hoped her fellow Guardians would enjoy. There was also her sleep clothes and an outfit for the next day in the bag. Thankfully, they didn't have school the next day, so they all were spending the night at Makoto's place. She knocked three times on the door, after making sure she had the right one. "Come on in!" Turning the knob and pushing the door open, Usagi was greeted with wonderful smells, like Makoto was cooking and baking all sorts of delicious things. She spotted Makoto's head popping out from a door frame. "You can set your things down near the couch. Ami and Rei should be here soon." The blond grinned as she shut the door behind her and did as instructed. Then she moved into the kitchen where Makoto was putting stirring a pot. She took note of the various baked goods on the counter and wondered for a moment if they were going to be able to eat all of it. Makoto was going to spoil all of them, she realized at that moment.

"Anything I can help you with? I'm not the best cook, but I can still be of use." Usagi offered with a bright smile. "Thanks, but I'm almost finished here." Makoto grinned back at her. There was a sharp knock on the door, signaling the arrival of another of their friends. "I'll get it," Usagi said as she left the room and rushed over to the door to open it. To her surprise, Rei and Ami were both there. So she ushered the two into Makoto's home and directed them where Makoto had her place her things. "There, the food's ready so we can eat whenever and whatever at any time. I probably made far more than needed." Makoto called out as hung up her apron before she came out to greet them in the living room. "So what should we do first?" She questioned only to spot Ami already pulling out her study materials.

An hour and a half later all the girls had finished their homework. Ami even checked each page and made sure to point out corrections as needed. Happy that the work was out of the way, Usagi was quick to pull out a handful of movies they could watch. One was a romantic comedy, a few were anime series like S-Cry-Ed and Guren Lagan, and the final movie was an action film. "I just don't understand why people like romantic comedies... My vote is for S-Cry-Ed or Guren Lagan." Usagi and the others blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?" "Yeah romantic comedies are funny, but I guess I just don't understand why people feel the need to be in a relationship like that with someone." Usagi and Makoto both tilted their heads to the side. "I think it's normal for some people to not feel like that, Rei. Not everyone feels like they need someone to make them complete." "That makes sense." Makoto joined in. "There isn't anything wrong with being that way." Usagi agreed. "Well, I'm glad someone besides Grandfather understands..." Rei muttered under her breath. "Do you want to talk about it, Rei?" Usagi questioned with a small encouraging smile. "Thanks but not right now. I'd rather now talk about something that could ruin our fun for tonight." Nodding Makoto grabbed the movie version of Guren Lagan and set it to play as the girls rushed to get fresh drinks and food.

By the time the movie ended Usagi had nodded off so Makoto, with the aid of Rei, helped to shift the blond so that she was lying across the couch. Usagi was so deep asleep that she didn't even stir. Ami made sure to drape one of the blankets Makoto had set aside for them over her. Then the three-wide awake girls moved into the kitchen so as to not disturb their weary leader. "Usagi really pushes herself too much, doesn't she?" Makoto murmured as they sat at her little table. "She works hard to better herself. I just wish she could get a break from those dreams and get a decent night's sleep.

There was a light scratching on glass sound coming from the living room so the three peeked their heads into the room to see Luna waiting at Makoto's window. With a smile, Makoto walked over and carefully opened the window to let her in. Before they could greet Luna, however, Usagi began to mutter in her sleep. "Endy...mon..." "The dreams again. Don't wake her; she'll wake up on her own soon." Luna practically hissed the words as she darted over to the sleeping blond. Even asleep, the blond looked scared and nervous. "No! Let me go!" The blond cried out in her sleep as she twisted and turned, her body struggling much like she must have been in her dream. Her friends watched over her wishing they could wake her. Tears began to leak from beneath the blond's closed eyes as her mouth snapped opened wide in a silent scream. Tears filled the eyes of Usagi's friends as they watched, fighting to hold themselves back. None of them realized these dreams and nightmares from the past were so bad. Now They found themselves thankful they didn't remember much of the past yet themselves. "..Heartless..." Usagi muttered sounding broken. With a sudden gasp, the blond bolted upright, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. One of her hands was on her chest and the other her throat as she tried to calm her racing heart. Makoto, Rei, and Ami practically jumped the poor blond, wrapping themselves around her in a comforting and supportive hug to remind her that she was with them and that she was alright. "I'm alright." The blond whispered as Luna watched over the four teenage girls sadly. She truly hoped the memories of their past lives didn't end up haunting them before this messy business was over.

* * *

Mamoru sighed as he placed his coffee cup on his coffee table before running a hand through his hair. He picked up his notebook, staring at what he'd been writing. "It makes no sense." He groaned as he dropped the notebook back down. Motoki shook his head as he picked the notebook up himself and flipped through the pages. "You right, nothing makes sense here. You aren't showing any signs of anything that could be causing these strange blackouts of yours." "If this is another side effect from my amnesia why is it suddenly starting now? It'd make more sense if it happened when the accident was more recent." Mamoru muttered into his hands.

"Let's try looking at this at a different angle. Each time your memory has seemed to lapse, you find yourself near a location of a minutes old youma attack. Sometimes you find your muscles strained and feel exhausted as if you had been running a marathon." Motoki rubbed at his chin thoughtfully, before glancing over at one of the many newspapers in the room, this particular one happened to catch a glimpse of Guardian Moon and the Masked Guy no one seems to have named yet. "Yeah?" Mamoru sat up and watched as Motoki eyed the picture thoughtfully. "You do kind of look like him... This masked guy..." Mamoru shook his head. "There's no way, I'm sure I'd remember if I was fighting those things alongside those women in the miniskirts.

"Dude," Motoki sighed and shook his head. "That's just it, you wouldn't if it is during the times you feel like you need to do something and try to fight it. Every time it happens you blackout. This is insane, but maybe next time follow the feeling and see what happens?" Mamoru sighed as he grabbed the porcelain coffee cup once more and took a sip. "Alright. I suppose it couldn't hurt... Unless of course, it leads him to run headfirst into traffic or something else life-threatening." "Right," Motoki nodded as he stood and stretched. "Alright, I'd better head on home before it gets much later." "Want me to drive you?" Mamoru put his cup down and stood. "Nah, the walk will help me clear my head. Maybe I'll even think of a less insane solution. I'll see myself out." The blond bent long enough to grab his bag from the floor. "True. Thanks again and be safe." Mamoru followed his best friend to the door, making sure the locks were secured once Motoki shut it behind him. With a groan, we walked back over to his couch and sat down feeling drained and mentally worn out. "There must be something wrong with me... What in the hell could it be?" Resting his face in his handed, he let out a shaky breath.

After a few moments of silence, he let his thoughts drift to Usagi. He wasn't sure why but just the thought of the blond girl made him smile and feel better. He knew she and her friends had planned a sleepover as they had talked about it the day before; he hoped they were all having a better night than he was.

_He was in a rose garden. It was dark as the night and a strange fog settled over the area. A quick glance at himself confirmed he was dressed in a royal blue tunic with silver buttons, trimmings, and other adornments. His pants were also a royal blue. There was a metal armor piece that he assumed was iron protecting his waist and sides. He had a black cape with a crimson inner lining and more iron plates to protect his shoulders. He had a pair of black boots on his feet that went up to his knees. There was also a long European looking sword rested strangely comfortably on his hip. The hold outfit felt comfortable and light despite its appearance and he was startled that he couldn't seem to even question why he was dressed as though he were going to a European Renaissance Fair._

_"Please.." A soft yet sweet voice pulled him from his self-inspections, drawing his attention to the ivory balcony in front of him. He kneels instinctively as his breath hitched. His head never lowered and his eyes never left the silver-haired beauty before him. Her silver hair had been pulled up into twin buns above her ears and long tendrils of the gathered strands of her hair trailed down, clinging to her figure gently as it cascaded to the ground where it seems to pool as though it were water. She was breathtakingly beautiful in her eggshell white dress that had small golden adornments embroidered into the bust. She seems to glow like she was an ethereal being made of the moonlight itself. "Please, you must find my crystal." She pleaded, sounded very sad and close to tears. "Where can I find it? What does it look like?" He questioned sounding far more confident thank he expected. "You will know, please hurry!" "Where can I find you?" He begged her for an answer, sounding far more desperate and lost than before. "It's not safe! Please, find the Silver Crystal. It's important."_

Mamoru woke with a start, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He groaned out a few unintelligible words as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes. glancing around, he quickly realized that he had somehow managed to fall asleep on his couch. He'd dreamed of the same princess begging to be found alongside some legendary crystal that he'd dreamed of since he was a child. She's sounded so much more desperate in his more recent dreams, but that wasn't what woke him tonight.

He felt his heart racing and a strong sense of fear, panic. He needed to move. He needed to go... Somewhere. He wasn't sure where is he stood, and his feet carried him over to his balcony unconsciously. He wanted to fight the feeling, wanted to ignore it like he'd been doing, but Motoki was right. He needed to figure out what was going on and following these odd feelings seemed to be his only choice. Glancing down at his hand he released a startled gasp. There was a single beautiful red rose that looked perfect and seemed to match the roses from the garden in his dream. It was covered in thorns but that didn't seem to hurt him in the slightest. He raised it to his nose and inhaled the very fresh and real scent of the flower. Instinctively his arm seemed to snap downward, throwing the rose to the ground at his feet and there was a flash of blinding white light.

"He blinked and moved to rub the spots from his eyes. However, instead of feeling the flesh of his hand on his eyelid, his hand connected with what felt like odd sunglasses. "What in the..." He muttered as his eyes flew open. At the sight of a white glove on his hand, his heart quickened. He flexed his fingers, taking in the comfortable silk feeling of the glove. "I have to be dreaming." He muttered in clear denial as he glanced over to the mirror on his wall. Sure enough, a man wearing a top hat and a really fancy looking tuxedo with a cape and a white mask stared back at him. "Damn it, Motoki!" He cursed as he gave in to his instincts. He jumped over the railing of his balcony, praying it wouldn't be to his death. Instead of dying a splattered mess on the ground, he found himself running along the rooftop and jumping across to the next building.

"The Masked Hero... No... Too on the nose. Guardian Tux-...No. Just No..." Mamoru shook his head and sighed as he tried to think of a name for this alter ego of his. He'd heard rumors of some people calling this ego of his Tuxedo Mask, and he shuddered, wanting to find something that sounded a little better. He'd have to do some research later, or maybe ask the guardians how they came up with theirs. Perhaps they could even help him come up with something better fitting than he could. For now, he just had to get through this youma fight without dying and somehow be of use to the Guardians. He had no memory of what he'd been doing when his alternate identity had apparently taken him over, so he could keep up with its charade. There was no way to know who these women he'd been aiding against the youma were or if any of them even knew who he was in real life. He couldn't tell them he was Mamoru Chiba after all. They could make anyone that he knew and hung out with a target, like Motoki, or Usagi and her friends. Just the thought of Usagi getting hurt because of him being this masked hero left a sharp pain in his chest. No, he definitely couldn't let the sweet blond girl be targeted, and it wasn't just because he knew he was starting to develop a crush on her.

Before he knew it, Mamoru found himself standing on a street light just outside at a local park. Somewhere hidden by the trees he could hear the female yells as well as the angry snarls, roars, and chittering of animals that inhabited the park. He balled his hands into fists, before blinking and raising his hand to look at the cane that seemed to appear in his grasp. "Huh..." He decided not to question it, not wanting to comment on how dream and cartoon-like this whole situation seemed. With one last glance around the area, he jumped onto the nearest tree branch, fighting to not question his own sanity.

His heart jumped into his throat at the sight of Guardian's Moon and Mercury entangled in thorned vines that looked to be squeezing the life out of them as Guardian Jupiter was preoccupied with the more dangerous animals that resided in the area. "Fire Soul!" Guardian Mars shouted out her attack as balls of fire struck the vines. His breath caught in his throat as the red skirted girl charged after the druid-like youma, leaving her companions to free themselves of the slacked burning greenery. He crouched down on the tree branch he was on, watching and waiting for a moment that he could jump in to help. Mercury rushed off to aid Jupiter, as Moon ran off after Mars and the youma. He followed the blond heroine to keep her in his sights from the trees.

"Fire Soul!" There was a sudden loud animal-like scream as he caught sight of the youma catching flame from Guardian Mars' attack. It made him wonder if he might have some element-based abilities that the majority of the Guardians seemed to have. "Moon Healing Escalation!" The blond hero called out as waves of moonlite dust burst from the moon stick in her hands. He couldn't help but bask in the warmth of her healing ability as it purified the youma to ashes. He was awed, seeing the effect her power had on everything around them. The animals went back to normal and the plant life seemed to shine as they began to look even healthier than they had before. It ended as quickly as it began and his joy quickly faded at the sight of the worn-out blond stumbling as though she'd exhausted herself as her companions ran to her side. Seeing that the threat was gone, he no longer felt the need to be there. Feeling useless, he turned and jumped away, planning to return home and figure out how to revert back to normal. He never noticed the shadowy figure that had been hiding in the trees alongside him.

* * *

Nephrite stepped into the cold, dark room cautiously. A quick glance around the room told him it was unguarded and he exhaled in relief. In the center of the room, there were multiple glass coffin-like containers a few of them holding the trapped figures with familiar faces frozen in horror and agony. "Jadeite..." The tall brunette man approached the case containing one of his self-proclaimed brothers. The encased blonde man looked to be in pure agony and he couldn't help the stab of anguish and anger that struck him, for but a moment before he forced the feelings down. He couldn't allow himself to feel. Not here. Queen Beryl's favorite person, the only one she turned to for counsel outside of their great ruler thrived on it. He'd be an instant target to the insane man that somehow was considered an equal to the Queen of the Negaverse. The hair on his neck stood on end and he found himself regretting coming here to look upon his tortured brother and friend.

"Ah, Nephrite. Come to remind yourself of your fate should you continue to fail?" The calm and even-toned voice that sounded behind him belied the insanity of its owner. Nephrite chose to remain silent, not bothering to turn to face him. "His fears and misery taste quite delicious... I wonder what your fear will taste like when you fail one time too many?" A cold hand touched his shoulder and he barely kept himself from flinching. "He hasn't broken yet you know... He will eventually... But for now, it amuses me to see him try to fight."

"Tairen, have you come here just to mock me, or do you have a better purpose?" Nephrite finally turned to stare at the hooded man who never seemed to stop grinning. "Oh, a little of both. Lady Beryl grows tired of your excuses. If you and the other two generals continue to fail us, you will be like Jadeite trapped, frozen in time, and forced to fight to stay sane in the recesses of your minds as you slowly lose everything that makes you... well you." The man giggled girlishly and the brunette man shuddered. "I look forward to it...You failing I mean. Though I also look forward to dealing with these brats you keep losing to. Perhaps they will lead me to my target." Nephrite bit the inside of his cheek as he turned and walked out of the room without another word, insane giggling echoing behind his every step. His mind on the numerous innocent young women the insane man had kidnapped, tortured, broke, and then killed for who knows how long. This man had been the one to awaken Queen Beryl as well as aid her in finding the four generals and remind them of their duty to her.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So as you can see here, I decided to do something a little different and focused more on Mamoru in this chapter. I know I could have involved him in the fight, but I felt watching and not needing to join in will give him some more perspective and allow him time to figure out how he's going to handle this situation without rushing headfirst into battle without a plan. Now that he has some perspective He can try to learn more about this new side of him. I want him to be far more useful to the Guardians. There is so much more to Mamoru than the guy who randomly shows up to save his princess when she needs saving no matter how minor. I'm hoping I was able to reflect that.

I also introduced another antagonist, whether Tairen is a minion or a bigger threat has yet to be revealed. I hope you all are enjoying the way I'm handling the generals as well.

I'd like to thank **Lexybug07** for the follow.

**Lulubelle09:** I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter./

Be safe, stay indoors, don't hoard, and wear a mask if you have to leave your home. Good luck everyone! Until next time, thank you all so much for reading!


	10. Author's Note

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone, my save file got corrupted and I lost everything I had written, so It might be a little bit before I can get another chapter out. I'm sorry for making you all wait.

In the meantime, I'm going to start making polls on my profile for you all to vote on when I'm not sure which way I should take the story. The first poll will largely impact Minako. Should I have Phantom Ace/Adonis from her adventures in England from Code Name V live? This may, or may not have an effect on her future pairing.

The poll will be open for at least until I am able to get the next chapter out.

Lastly, What were your thoughts on the previous chapter? What did you like and dislike? Do you think Mamoru and Usagi should discover each other's alternate egos as superheroes sooner rather than later? I'd like to get a bit more feedback from those of you willing to share your thoughts.

I have an idea for Mamour's hero name aside from simply sticking with Tuxedo Mask. I apologize if my making this change bothers anyone, though you might have seen it coming since I've always referred to the girls as guardians rather than simply Sailor Scouts.

I'll end this note here. I'll take it down once I have the chapter rewritten and finished.


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